CIHM 
Microfiche 


(Monographs) 


ICIVIH 

Collection  de 
microfiches 
(monographles) 


Canadian  Instituta  for  Historical  Microraproductions  /  institut  Canadian  da  microraproductions  historiquas 


1998 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes  /  Notes  techniques  et  bibliographiques 


The  Institute  has  attempted  to  obtain  the  best  original 
copy  available  for  filming.  Features  of  this  copy  which 
may  be  bibliographically  unique,  which  may  alter  any  of 
the  images  in  the  reproduction,  or  which  may 
significantly  change  the  usual  method  of  filming  are 
checked  below. 

0  Coloured  covers  / 
Couverture  de  couleur 

□   Covers  damaged  / 
Couverture  endommag6e 

□   Covers  restored  and/or  laminated  / 
Couverture  restaur6e  et/ou  pellicul6e 

I      I   Cover  title  missing  /  Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 

I      I   Coloured  maps  /  Cartes  g6ographiques  en  couleur 

f— 7(   Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)  / 
I  V  I    Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 

□   Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations  / 
Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couleur 

Bound  with  other  rr.aterial  / 
Reli6  avec  d'autres  documents 

Only  edition  available  / 
Seuie  Edition  disponible 

Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion  along 
interior  margin  /  La  reliure  serr6e  peut  causer  de 
I'ombre  ou  de  la  distorsion  le  long  de  la  marge 
int6rieure. 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restorations  may  appear 
within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these  have  been 
omitted  from  filming  /  Use  peut  que  certaines  pages 
blanches  ajout6es  lors  d'une  restauration 
apparaissent  dans  le  texte,  mais,  lorsque  cela  6tait 
possible,  ces  pages  n'ont  pas  6t6  film6es. 

Additional  comments  / 
Commentaires  suppl6mentaires: 


n 


D 


L'Institut  a  microfilm6  le  meilleur  exemplaire  qu'il  lui  a 
6X6  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details  de  cet  exem- 
plaire qui  sont  peut-6tre  uniques  du  point  de  vue  bibli- 
ographique,  qui  peuvent  nriodifier  une  image  reproduite, 
ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une  modification  dans  la  m^tho- 
de  normale  de  filmage  sont  indiqu^s  ci-dessous. 

I     I  Coloured  pages  /  Pages  de  couleur 

I     I   Pages  damaged  /  Pages  endommag^es 

□   Pages  restored  and/or  laminated  / 
Pages  restaur^es  et/ou  pellicul6es 

r~y  Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed  / 
I  ^   Pages  d6color6es,  tachet6es  ou  piqu6es 

I         Pages  detached  /  Pages  d6tach6es 

[7    Showthrough/ Transparence 

I — I   Quality  of  print  varies  / 


n 


Quality  in^gale  de  I'impression 

Includes  supplementary  mst' 
Comprend du  materiel suppir  ^ 


D 


ai. 


Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscjr  i  ;v  errata  slips, 
tissues,  etc.,  have  been  refilmed  to  ensure  the  best 
possible  image  /  Les  pages  totalement  ou 
partiellement  obscurcies  parun  feuillet  d'errata,  une 
pelure,  etc.,  ont  6t6  film6es  k  nouveau  de  fagon  k 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 

Opposing  pages  with  varying  colouration  or 
discolourations  are  filmed  twice  to  ensure  the  best 
possible  image  /  Les  pages  s'opposant  ayant  des 
colorations  variables  ou  des  d6colorations  sont 
film^es  deux  fois  afin  d'obtenir  la  meilleure  image 
possible. 


D 


This  hem  it  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below  / 

Ce  document  est  film*  au  taux  de  reduction  indiqu«  ci-des80u«. 


10x 

14x 

18x 

22x 

26x 

30x 

■/ 

19* 

16x 

20x 

24x 

28x 

32x 

Th«  copy  filmact  her*  has  bacn  raproducad  thanks 
to  the  generosity  of: 

Vancouver  School  of  Theology 
Library 

Tho  images  appearing  here  are  the  best  quality 
possible  considering  the  condition  and  legibility 
of  the  original  copy  and  in  keeping  with  the 
filming  contract  specifications. 


Original  copies  In  printed  paper  covers  are  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on 
the  last  page  with  a  printed  or  llluatrated  Imprea- 
sion,  or  the  back  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  imprea- 
sion,  and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  —»>(  meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 

IMaps.  plates,  charts,  etc..  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  In  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


L'exempiaire  fiimA  fut  reproduit  grice  i  la 
gAnirosit*  de: 

Vancouver  School  of  Theology 
Library 

Les  images  sulvantes  ont  M  reproduites  avec  ie 
plus  grand  soln,  compte  tenu  de  ia  condition  at 
de  la  nettet*  de  l'exempiaire  film«,  et  en 
conformitA  avec  les  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmage. 

Les  exemplalree  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprimie  sont  filmte  en  commen^ant 
par  Ie  premier  plat  et  en  termlnant  soit  par  ia 
dernl4re  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  Ie  second 
plat,  salon  Ie  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exemplalres 
originaux  sont  fllmte  en  commenpant  par  ia 
premiire  pege  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  termlnant  par 
la  dernlire  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

Un  dee  symboles  sulvants  apparaltra  sur  la 
dernlAre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  Ie 
cas:  Ie  symbols  -^>  signifie  "A  SUIVRE".  Ie 
symbols  V  signifie  "FIN". 

Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  Atre 
filmte  it  des  taux  de  reduction  dlff«rents. 
Lorsque  Ie  document  est  trop  grand  pour  Atre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  cllch*.  il  est  film*  A  partir 
de  I'angle  sup4rieur  gauche,  de  gauche  A  drolte. 
et  de  haut  en  bas.  en  prenant  Ie  nombre 
d'Images  n^cessaire.  Las  diagrammes  suivants 
lllustrent  la  mAthode. 


1  2  3 


1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

Miatocorv  risoiution  tist  chart 

(ANSI  and  ISO  TEST  CHART  No.  2) 


1*5 

150 


■  3.2 


1 40 


2.2 

t.8 


^  APPLIED  IIVHGE    Ir 

^^  1653  East   Main   Street 

S^S  RochMter,   Ne»  York        U609       USA 

^g  (716)  482  -  0300  -  Ptione 

^S  fB)   2BB  -  S989  -  Fa> 


THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 


w 


By 
Marshall  P.  Tailing,  Ph.  D. 

TAe  Science  of  Sfnritual  Life.  An 
Application  of  Scientific  Method  in  the  Ex- 
ploration of  Spiritual  Experience,  ismo, 
cloth,  net  I1.50. 

"These  pages  attempt  the  reconstrtiction  of  the- 
ology in  accord  with  principles  of  science.  Realiz- 
ing that  the  gravest  responsibility  of  the  age  is  to 
rise  from  outgrown  to  more  adequate  expressions 
of  evolving  truth,  this  contribution  is  set  forth  with 
the  pu.-pose  of  the  Master,  not  to  destroy  but  to 
fulfill."— 7ro«.  tkt  Preface. 

Inter-Communion   with  God.      Inttr- 
national  Ltaders'    Library.      lamo,  cloth, 
net  .50. 

"  Follows  the  theme  of '  Extempore  Prayer,'  along 
wider  and  higher  lines.  The  former  volume  dealt 
with  prayer  mainly  from  the  human  side  as  the  ap- 
proach of  man  to  God.  In  the  present  book  true 
grayer  is  shown  to  be  an  approach  from  both  the 
uman  and  the  divine  sides."— 7)*/  IVestmimttr. 

Extempore  Prayer.  Iti  Principles,  Prep- 
aration and  Practice.   1 2010,  cloth,  net  1 1 .  s  5. 

«•  In  each  of  these  chapters  there  is  much  to  instruct. 
The  whole  treatment  is  sane,  reverent  and  compre- 
hensive. It  should  have  a  place  in  all  our  theolog- 
ical seminaries,  and  every  minister  should  possets 
it.  We  bid  it  welcome.  It  has  a  distinct  minion 
to  our  churches."— Cir»/Mi>  Observer. 


The 

Science  of  Spiritual  Life 

AN  APPLICATION  OF  SCIENTIFIC 

METHOD  in  the  EXPLORATION  OF 

SPIRITUAL  EXPERIENCE 

By 

Marshall  P.  Tailing,  B.A.,  Ph.D. 

AutAtr  of  "Exiimport  Praytr"  "iKter-Ctmrnunin 
<witA  CoJ,"  eu.,  *u. 

Ilvev^a  6  Oeof 


New  York  Chicago  Toronto 

Fleming    H.  Revell    Company 

London        and        Edinburgh 


Copyright,  igia,  by 
FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 


New  York:  158  Fifth  Avenue 
Chicago:  125  N.  Wabash  Ave. 
Toronto:  25  Richmond  St.,  W. 
London:  21  Paternoster  Square 
Edinburgh:  100  Princes  Street 


TO  THE 

Mtmotf 

or 
Piopxifos  GioxcB  Paxton  Young,  M.A.,  LL.D. 

TMKSB  PAGB8  AM 

Bebicateb 

WITH  SBVBUNCE  AND  AFFECTION 


"  Creation,  then,  is  here  conceived  not  as  a  finished 
but  as  a  continuous  process.   .    .    .    A  concluded  cre- 
ation .    .    .  could  only  signify  an  exhausted  universe 
and  a  dead  Deity.     What  do  the  theories  of  energy 
and  evolution  mean  but  the  continuance  of  the  creative 
process?    But  if  new  forms  in  biology  have  emerged 
.    .    .  may  not  the  very  Power  which  determined  the 
appearance  of  the  first  form,  and  the  whole  course  of 
evolution  from  it,  determine  also  the  appearance  of 
creative  Persons  in  history  and  of  all  the  events  v  hich 
may    follow    from    their    appearance  ?  "—Principal 
A.  M.  Fairbairn,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  "  The  Philosophy  of 
the  Christian  Religion,"  page  59. 


1 1 


PREFACE 


THESE  pages  attempt  the  reconstruction  of  the- 
ology in  accord  with  the  principles  of  Science. 
The  key  to  the  book  may  be  found  in  the  first 
and  eighth  chapters,  dealing  respectively  with  "  The 
Significance  of  Progress "  and  "  Progressive  Crea- 
tion." The  balance  of  the  book  is  devoted  to  the 
application  of  these  and  allied  principles  to  the  ex- 
planation of  religious  experience. 

The  plan  of  treatment  follows,  with  one  radical 
change,  the  ordinary  lines  of  theological  investigation. 

Any  brief  delineation  of  a  subject  may  of  course 
be  exposed  to  objections  against  which  more  elaborate 
treatment  might  protect  itself,  nevertheless  so  wide  is 
the  field  here  brought  under  survey  that  it  has  been 
deemed  advisable  to  adopt  the  briefer  form. 

As  this  work  was  written,  not  for  experts,  but 
rather  for  students  and  serious  minded  laymen,  it  may 
be  well  to  remark  that  although  certain  doctrines  of 
Historic  Creeds  are  brought  under  criticism,  still  the 
book  throughout  is  loyal  to  the  spirit  of  Christ  and 
the  growing  sentiment  of  His  followers.  I  believe 
that  were  Jesus  in  the  flesh  to-day  He  would  be  the 
world's  most  modem  exponent  of  spiritual  truth.  Be- 
fore biolcgy  had  been  explored  He  gave  us  the  exact 
biological  expression  of  Life  in  both  orders ;  the  physi- 

7 


8 


m 


PREFACE 


cal  and  the  spiritual;  and  indicated  their  normal  laws. 

Life  was  His  theme;  and  life  is  ours. 
But  life  for  the  race,  as  well  as  for  the  individual, 

IS  constantly  expanding.  Realizing,  therefore,  that 
the  gravest  responsibility  of  an  age,  as  well  as  its  most 
sensitive  problem,  is  to  rise  from  outgrown  to  more 
adequate  expression  of  evolving  truth,  the  following 
contribution  is  sent  forth  with  the  purpose  of  The 
Master,  not  to  destroy,  but  to  fulfil. 

Toronto.  ""  ^'  ^^"''«- 


i'i 


CONTENTS 


I.  The  Significance  OF  Progress       .       .       ii 

II.  The  Ultimate  Authority  in  Reugion      35 

III.  The  Transcendence  and  Immanence 

OF  God 49 

IV.  The  Personality  of  God  ....       70 
V.  The  Triunity  of  God       ....       78 

VI.  The  Sonship  of  Jesus       ....       84 

VII.  The  Holy  Spirit laa 

VIII.  Progressive  Creation       ....     107 

IX.  Man's  Part  IN  God's  Purpose  .       .       .     "5 

X.  Essential  Relationship  Between  God 

AND  Man 124 

XI.  Human  Obstruction  to  God's  Purpose    131 

XII.  The  Nature  and  Development  of  Sin      140 

XIII.  The  Origin  of  Sin 149 

XIV.  Tempters  and  Temptation      .       .       .159 
XV.  Problems  and  Facts  of  Salvation      .     166 

XVI.  Theories  of  Salvation      .       .       .       .178 

XVII.  The  Conquest  of  Sin      ....     193 

XVIII.  The  Significance  of  Immortauty       .     205 

XIX.  Judgment,  Heaven,  Hell  .       .       .       .229 

XX.  Future  Probation      ....     243 

XXI.  Modes  of  Spiritual  Culture         .       .     a57 

XXII.  The  Propagation  of  Spiritual  Life      .     278 

XXIII.  Christianity  a  Pathology      .       .       .291 

XXIV.  Pending  Issues  of  the  Age     .      .      .30s 


THE  SIGNIFICANCE  OF  PKOGRESS 

IN  mental  outlook  the  present  is  distinguished  from 
preceding  ages  by  its  frank  recognition  of  com- 
prehensive human  progress.  Eras  of  sterility  and 
of  decadence  may  be  acknowledged,  nevertheless  over 
and  above  all  retrogression  there  has  been  fiom  (*"  • 
tant  beginnings  substantial  and  gratifyiiig  advance. 
That  theology  should  be  involved  in  the  broader  move- 
ment appears  inevitable,  but  how  it  is  involved  and 
how  it  ought  vo  be  affected,  are  problems  confronting 
the  religious  leaders  of  our  day  which  deserve  the 
sincere  prayer  and  best  thought  of  God's  people. 

In  the  pages  before  us  the  principle  of  progress  is 
assumed  as  elemental  in  the  universe  Science,  which 
already  dominates  so  widely  the  thinking  of  men,  vi 
accepted  as  a  mode  of  God's  self-disclosure,  and  its 
principles  applied  to  the  solution  of  theological  diffi- 
culties. Progressive  knowledge,  it  is  i.iaintained, 
necessitates  a  readjustment  of  the  frontiers  between 
older  theological  conception  and  ♦hose  of  modem 
thought. 

If  process  be,  indeed,  "  God's  method  of  progress," 
(and  such  we  believe  it  to  be,  whatever  name  be  applied 
to  the  complex  operations  of  the  cosmos),  then  Chris- 
tianity is  losing  rather  than  gaining  by  its  hesitancy, 

II 


12      THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

not  to  say  resistance,  to  the  modification  of  theological 
thought. 

Theology  alone  among  the  sciences  dreads  change. 
For  this  singular  sense  of  fear  there  is  of  course 
abundant  explanation,  since  for  centuries  it  wa^:  taught 
that,  final  truth  having  been  once  revealed,  change 
need   not   be  looked    for.    The   Church    formulated 
her  doctrines  with  extreme  care;  proclaimed  them 
as  absolute  truth;  then  deliberately  set  herseli  to  pre- 
vent alterations.     In  short,  progress  was  not  foreseen; 
absolute  finality  was  the  end  attempted.     Not  only  so' 
but  theology  was  regarded  with  a  sacredness  that 
made  any  tendency  to  change  appear  sacrilegious. 
Eternal  interests  were  at  stake;  the  truth,  having  been 
attained,  must  at  all  hazards  be  conserved. 

Granting  the  need  of  caution— truth's  unc  asing  de- 
mand—yet must  it  be  acknowledged  that  unwholesome 
fear  made  the  Church  for  ages  resolutely  antagonistic 
to  science.  Believing  that  investigation  endangered 
her  power  and  the  purity  of  her  doctrines,  she  resisted 
and  penalized  the  exploration  of.  nature.  Concerning 
this,  however,  it  ought  to  be  said,  that  her  attitude 
was  taken  deliberately  and  devoutly  for  the  defence 
of  truth.  Her  motives  were  pure;  her  policy  alone 
mistaken. 

That  other  ages  have  equalled  ours  in  zeal,  may 
be  conceded,  but  that  none  has  been  characterized  by 
a  more  rational  endeavour  to  discover  its  duty,  is 
certain;  nor  has  any  preceding  age  possessed  the  range 
of  knowledge  admitting  of  so  hopeful  a  prospect  of 
progress.     Never  before  was  equipment  so  adequate 


THE  SIGNIFICANCE  OF  PROGRESS     13 

to  effect  a  re-expression  of  doctrine  as  tc-daj';  nor 
were  so  many  ever  before  animated  with  the  confidence 
that  change  can  be  made,  and  must  be  made,  for  the 
sake  of  truth  and  the  kingdom  of  God. 

It  is  an  impressive  fact  that  the  alteration  of  basal 
ideas  in  any  department  of  truth  inevitably  affects  our 
conception  of  God.  Copernicus;  Kepler;  Newton; 
laboured  not  as  theologians,  nor  did  their  discoveries 
aher  a  single  line  of  the  Christian  creed,  yet  their 
unfolding  of  truth  vastly  influenced  all  subsequent 
thinking;  for  the  enlargement  of  man's  ideas  of  the 
universe  tended  to  elevate  his  worship  of  the  Creator. 

That  mighty  changes  are  taking  place  in  the  re- 
ligious conceptions  of  mankind  no  one  can  deny.  To 
use  Mr.  A.  J.  Balfour's  phrase,  "  a  bloodless  and  al- 
most unperceived  revolution  "  marks  the  present  era. 
Equally  certain  is  it  that,  in  the  direction  of  science, 
lies  the  common  and  irre'^^istible  trend  of  thought. 
The  question  of  the  hour  and  its  supreme  responsi- 
bility, so  far  as  the  Christian  Church  is  concerned, 
appears  to  be,  can  the  Christian  faith  undergo  a  re- 
expression  of  its  truth  in  accord  with  science — ^not  to 
its  loss,  but  to  its  enduring  gain?  Nay,  is  not  such 
a  change  essential  to  its  very  life  and  the  extension 
of  its  sway? 

Such  are  its  claims,  and  such  is  the  pressure  of  still 
unfolding  truth,  that  consideration  of  the  case  is 
obligatory.  Wherefore  let  us  endeavour,  as  simply 
as  we  can,  to  set  forth  certain  elements  of  the  problem. 


14      THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

I.     REGARDING  CONCEPTIONS 

Great  as  are  the  differences  between  the  older  teach- 
ings of  the  Church  and  those  of  modern  science,  yet 
it  will  be  found  that  they  turn  chiefly  on  a  single  con- 
ception; a  conception  which,  however,  in  science  is 
deemed  fundamental;  viz.,  process.  Process  involves 
the  orderly  operation  of  cause  and  effect;  implies 
law;  and  reveals  the  nature  of  resident  forces. 

How  divergent  this  idea  is  from  pre-scientific  con- 
ceptions may  be  illustrated  by  a  few  comparisons.  For 
example,  according  to  the  older  theology  human  life 
commenced  on  our  planet  in  adult  form — created  at 
the  point  of  highest  perfection.  According  to  science, 
the  race,  from  primordial  beginnings,  ascended  by  a 
prolonged  evolution  to  present  achievement  and  power. 

The  earlier  theory  conceived  man  as  a  comparatively 
sudden  creation  and  living  in  a  imiverse  whose  forces 
had  no  part  in  his  production.  The  latter  teaches 
that  he  and  his  environment  were  produced  together 
by  a  process  rendering  him  and  the  universe  inter- 
responsive. 

One  regarded  original  man  as  dowered  with  high 
knowledge  at  the  commencement  of  his  career.  The 
other  believes  that  he  began  with  rudimentary  powers ; 
and  that  these  could  be  developed  in  no  way  except 
by  the  very  types  of  effort  and  study  which  have 
given  to  the  world  literature  and  art,  science  and 
theology. 

One  views  humanity  as  fallen  from  an  exalted 
state  of  spiritual  perfection  to  the  depths  of  depravity. 


THE  SIGNIFICANCE  OF  PROGRESS     15 

The  other  views  the  race  as  rising  from  crude  to  de- 
veloping ideals;  from  lower  to  higher  levels,  morally 
as  well  as  intellectually. 

According  to  old  ideas,  the  worst  sin  was  the  first 
sin;  because  it  ruined  the  race,  exposing  humankind 
forever  to  the  wrath  of  God.  Sin  was  not  regarded 
as  the  by-product  of  a  being  emerging  from  brute 
relations  to  spiritual  power;  it  was  conceived  as  the 
meaningless  and  God-angering  act  of  a  celestial 
being.  According  to  modern  thought  sin  emerged 
as  man  emerged,  at  first  low  in  cast  and  coarse,  as 
was  man  himself,  the  heinousness  of  sin  increasing 
with  his  development,  and  making  the  worst  sin,  the 
sin  of  the  highest  being,  against  the  greatest  light. 

One  teaches  that  theology  is  true  because  it  is 
different  from  science;  and  in  that  sense,  sacred; 
divine.  The  other  believes  that  real  relations  may  be 
established  in  theology,  as  in  every  other  field  of 
truth,  and  that  until  such  relations  be  discovered, 
theology  cannot  be  seen  as  part  of  the  texture  of 
universal  truth. 

Earlier  theology  represented  creation  as  completed 
at  a  certain  past  time,  and  as  being,  since  that  date, 
merely  "  sustained."  Science  teaches  that  neither  man 
nor  the  universe  is  complete;  that  both  are  still  under 
process  of  production. 

It  will  be  observed  that  in  every  comparison  the 
divergence  turns  on  the  conceived  absence  or  presence 
of  process.  The  Creator  is  the  same;  the  method 
alone  different.  In  one  case  there  is  no  explanation 
or  intelligible  connection  between  the  Divine  will  and 


r 


16     THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

the  result.    In  the  other,  is  orderly,  and  to  some  ex- 
tent, explicable  method.     In  one  case  is  miracle ;  sup- 
posed to  be  higher  than  God's  normal  way  of  doing 
things,  and  p.ized  as  Divine  because  exceptional  or 
supernatural.     In  the  other  case,  it  is  assumed  that 
with  God  nothing  is  more  Divine  than  the  normal; 
that  for  Him  there  is  nothing  super-divine.     In  other 
words,  that  His  method  is  at  once  Divine ;  normal ; 
and  constant;  and  that  it  has  meaning  for  the  being 
who,  sharing  His  nature,  must  needs  learn  how  to 
apply  will  to  the  control  of  force;  and  so  perfect  that 
control  that  spirit  shall  master  all  things,  and  he  him- 
self become  perfect  even  as  his  Father  which  is  in 
Heaven  is  perfect. 


II.     REGARDING  TERMINOLOGY 

One  of  the  initial  difficulties  confronting  us  lies  in 
the  terminology  of  our  subject.  For  example,  such 
terms  as  "  natural,"  "  supernatural,"  and  "  spiritual," 
were  adopted  before  nature  had  been  explored,  or 
the  supernatural  properly  conceived.  The  terms  have 
remained  naltered.  while  nature  has  undergone  com- 
plete transformation  before  developing  intelligence; 
and  even  greater  change  has  taken  place  in  our  con- 
ception of  the  spiritual. 

Until  the  modern  era,  it  was  supposed  that  nature 
was  imnatural;  having  been  contaminated  by  man's 
first  disobedience,  and  its  forces  condemned  as  evil. 
That  was  a  pre-scientific  conception.  With  develop- 
ing knowledge  we  have  learned  that  the  universe  is 


I 


THE  SIGNIFICANCE  OF  PROGRESS     17 

a  realm  of  divinely  organized  forces  whose  wealth 
and  working  are  designed  for  man's  advancement. 

Of  old  was  it  written,  "God  is  spirit";  yet  for 
ages  spirit  was  conceived,  as  it  doubtless  is' by  some 
to-day,  as  something  ethereal  or  ghostly;  visible,  per- 
Vaps,  but  not  tangible.     All  of  which  represents  f  .tile 
efforts  to  apply  the  categories  of  matter  to  the  imma- 
terial  and   ignores   the   characteristic   attributes   of 
spirit— namely,  thought,  feeling,  and  volition.     Spirit 
IS  known  only  in  self -consciousness;  and  is  revealed 
by   intuition,   love,   and    purpose.    The   spiritual    is 
personal.     This  definition  differentiates  spirit   from 
matter;  and  makes  it  a  living  reality  with  which  we 
are  acquainted  on  the  inside,  not  through  outer  sense, 
but  by  inner  consciousness.     In  brief,  God  is  spirit,' 
and  is  known  .spiritually,  according  to  capacity  and 
development,  by  spirits  who  share  His  nature  and 
lend  themselves  to  His  influence. 

But  if  earlier  conceptions  of  nature,  and  of  spirit, 
have  undergone  changes,  so  have  early  conceptions  of 
the  supernatural.  When  magic  and  miracle  were 
crudely  conceived  by  undisciplined  imagination  the 
supernatural  was  thought  of  as  the  miraculous,  and 
"miracle"  was  regarded  as  magic,  that  is,  the  in- 
stantaneous production  of  effects  without  intermedi- 
ate causes. 

To-day,  the  term  nature  is  applied  to  the  material 
universe,  a  realm  of  impersonal  forces,  operating 
according  to  uniform  laws,  and  capable  of  control 
because  absolutely  invariable.  But  we  recognize  a 
yet  higher  realm,  which  is  .?«/»^r-natural,  not  because 


i8     THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

in  any  sense  magical,  but  because  it  is  personal — 
thinks,  feels,  wills,  and  adores.  Its  laws  are  not  those 
of  the  natural  order,  nor  are  they  so  perfectly  obeyed. 
For  volition  implies  freedom.  And  freedom  requires 
control  of  the  mental,  moral,  and  spiritual  order; 
which  is  elastic  enough  to  allow  considerable  play 
for  the  originative  spirit,  and  also  to  lay  upon  it 
personal  responsibility.  The  supernatural,  as  the 
term  is  here  employed,  stands  for  the  personal  nd 
volitional,  i.e.,  the  spiritual. 

Distinction,  however,  between  the  natural  and  the 
suptrnntural  must  not  be  taken  to  imply  that  the 
supernatural  is  un-natural  or  contra-natural.  The 
supernatural  is  as  natural  (i.e.,  as  normal)  as  the 
natural  but  belongs  to  a  different  order.  Therefore, 
the  supernatural  must  not  be  regarded  as  magical  or 
lawless.  There  could  be  in  a  universe  no  such  realm. 
God  Himself,  and  the  cosmos  are  characterized  by 
order.  It  is  the  modern  certainty  of  this  truth  that 
has  forever  banished  magic  from  the  universe,  and 
so  modified  our  conception  of  miracle,  that  we  re- 
gard it,  not  as  the  violation  or  contravention  of  law, 
but  as  effect  produced  by  untraced  causes.  We  do 
not  understand,  yet  we  conceive  that  if  we  could  but 
know,  we  should  discover  God  operating  with  normal 
forces  in  perfect  harmony  with  the  context  of  the 
universe.  Process,  though  not  discerned,  is  under- 
stood. 

The  idea  of  evolution  (itself  an  evolutiot.)  is  per- 
haps not  so  new  as  is  commonly  supposed.  To  quote 
Professor  Henry  Jones,  "The  conception  was  not 


THE  SIGNIFICANCE  OF  PROGRESS     19 
only  familiar  to  thr  poet-philosophers  of  Germany 
to  Lessmg  and  Goethe,  to  Kant  and  Hegel,  to  Fichte 
and  Schellmg  and  Schiller,  it  constituted,  one  may 
almost  say,  the  medium  through  which  they  observed 
the  world  and  by  which  they  sought  to  arrange  its 
phenomena  in  a  rational  order."     Many  minds  had 
conceived  it.  but  innumerable  workers  laboured  long 
before  it  could  be  brought  to  demonstration  or  made 
expressible  to  the  common  mind.     Yet  this  single 
conception  is  swaying  the  thought  of  the  age.  and 
seems  destined  to  transform  the  thinking  of  humanity 
a.s  radically  as  did  that  of  Copernicus.     In  the  words 
of  the  author  just  quoted,  "  The  idea  of  Evolution 
IS  the  lord  of  all  our  thinking-the  subtle  presupposi- 
•on  which  suffuses  all  our  endeavour,  whetheV  in 
the  sphere  of  knowledge  or  in  that  of  social  and 
moral  practice.     It  is  the  author  of  our  very  tempera- 
ment, and  determines  the  mental  disposition  of  our 
times.     It  has  given  to  the  modern  age  its  character- 
istic  ways  of  action,  and   unique   features,   making 
our  era  distinct  and  distinguishable  amongst  the  ages 
of  the  world  in  all  its  thinking  and  stri-ing,  whether 
m  science  or  in  philosophy,  in  morals  ^,  in  politics 
in  poetry  or  in  religion."  * 

Process,  moreover,  when  we  come  to  consider  it 
implies  purpose-leads  some  whither;  has  meaning 
proportional  to  the  nature  and  magnitude  of  unfold- 
ing  results.  And  purpose,  be  it  observed,  has  im- 
plications of  the  highest  importance  to  theology  in- 
asmuch as  it  poims  to  Personality;  joins  hands  with 
•"Idealism  as  a  Practical  Creed."  p.  84. 


20      THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUy^  L  LIFE 

older  revelations  and  gives  them  new  significance. 
The  older  theology  accepted  its  limited  revelation 
unquestioningly,  attempting  no  exploration  and  mak- 
ing no  inquiry  regarding  the  purpose  of  creation. 
It  assumed  God's  glory  devoutly  enough,  but  it  sought 
no  raison  d'etre  for  the  universe.  Science,  however, 
by  the  convergence  of  progressive  forces,  is  con- 
strained to  look  for  an  explanation  adequate  to  ac- 
count for  the  universe  with  which  we  are  becoming 
acquainted ;  and  finds  an  end  which  raises  the  dignity 
of  mar ;  for  it  sees  the  purpose  of  the  universe,  and 
the  glory  of  God,  in  the  production  of  a  type  of 
personality  worthy  of  an  Infinite  Creator. 

But  personality  would  be  impossible  were  not  free- 
dom a  fact.  For  moral  worth,  and  the  total  sig- 
nificance of  religion,  depend  upon  self-determination. 
Materialism,  pantheism,  or  whatsoever  makes  halluci- 
nation of  the  freedom  of  the  will,  is  death  to  theology, 
and  the  destruction  of  personality.  Whatever  be  the 
limitations  within  which  will  operates,  a  true  theology, 
and  a  real  morality,  require  as  their  first  essential 
a  genuine  originality  of  act,  the  freedom  of  choice. 
Religion  and  morality  constitute  problems  in  the  in- 
teraction of  wills.  Sin  could  have  no  existence,  re- 
sponsibility no  meaning,  were  the  will  not  free. 

There  is  another  side  to  the  problem.  For,  besides 
the  inter-relation  of  finite  spirits,  and  their  attitude 
to  God,  a  true  theology  must  account  for  the  opera- 
tion of  will  in  a  universe  of  forces  subject  throughout 
to  the  reign  of  law.  Were  forces  not  orderly  they 
could  not  be  controlled.    And  were  they  not  organized 


THE  SIGNIFICANCE  OF  PROGRESS     21 

in  subjection  to  spirit,  there  could  be  neither  freedom 
nor  control.  A  science  of  spiritual  life  would  be 
impossible  were  not  spirit  supreme,  and  order  nor- 
mal, in  the  universe. 

Again,  in  bringing  to  human  consciousness  the 
operation  of  resident  or  immanent  forces,  science  con- 
firms the  earlier  teaching  of  God's  Omnipresence. 
Albeit,  from  the  nature  of  its  approach  to  this  sub- 
lime truth,  it  is  able  to  contribute  to  it  a  new  sig- 
nificance, and  is  compelling  a  new  interpretation.  It 
is  science  that  is  educating  humanity  to  think  of  The 
Eternal  in  terms  of  Immanence. 

Furthermore,  process  explains  why  its  own  secret 
lay  for  so  many  centuries  hidden.  Not  until  man  was 
prepared  for  it  could  such  a  revelation  be  brought  to 
his  cognizance.  Not  till  he  had  learned  his  elemen- 
tary lessons  could  fulness  of  capacity  come.  Never 
springs  forth  truth,  like  the  fabled  Minerva,  full 
armed  and  complete.  Infancy  forever  precedes  ma- 
turity. Thus,  in  briefest  statement,  it  may  be  said, 
that  theology  is  as  old  as  humanity;  philosophy  origi- 
nated about  600  B.C.;  science,  though  conceived  by 
the  Greeks,  came  to  birth  so  recently  that  it  seems 
scarcely  yet  entered  upon  its  youth.  All  people  are 
religious;  only  cultured  minds  are  philosophic;  only 
such  cultured  minds  as  have  produced  or  fallen  heir 
to  efficient  apparatus  can  achieve  the  mastery  of  na- 
ture involved  in  science.  Thus,  science  was  last  to 
be  born,  because  it  requires  intricate  and  exact  appa- 
ratus. So  also,  philosophy  followed  far  behind  re- 
ligion, because  it  presupposes  a  mental  discipline  and 


!  i:. 

11 


22      THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

breadth  of  learning  which  make  wide  generalizations 
possible.  Its  growth,  too,  was  necessarily  slow  be- 
cause the  task  of  philosophy  is  to  knit  all  truth  into 
universal  and  harmonious  relations;  an  achievement 
which,  though  it  can  never  be  absolutely  completed, 
is  nevertheless  even  in  its  earlier  stages  essential  to 
progress.  Religion  came  first  because  it  requires  no 
apparatus,  and  presupposes  no  accurate  mental  dis- 
cipline. Men  are  created  religious,  just  as  they  are 
created  imaginctive,  emotional,  and  responsive.  But 
reflection  is  a  characteristic  of  maturity.  Primitive 
peoples  had  little  knowledge,  and  all  the  knowledge 
they  posstised  for  untold  ages  was  an  unclassified 
flux  of  fact  and  fable,  of  truth  and  incongruous  un- 
reality. These  broad  generalizations  which  for  us 
throw  knowledge  into  clearly  defined  departments, 
serving  to  make  its  sum  total  relatively  intelligible, 
constitute  the  summit  attainment  of  ages  of  study. 

Process,  moreover,  bears  another  lesson  of  value 
for  ui^  It  serves,  in  part,  to  explain  the  waste  and 
attrition  of  development.  For  progress,  like  life,  in- 
volves a  dual  movement;  the  failure  of  the  old;  the 
arrival  cf  the  new.  Blossoms  fall,  but  to  find  in 
fruitage,  both  their  destruction  and  their  meaning. 
Bulbs  but  rot  that  lilies  may  bloom.  The  oak  be- 
comes at  once  the  death  and  the  fulfilment  of  the 
acorn.  Interme  iiary  stages  pass  but  to  tell  on  the 
issue  for  which  their  passing  is  the  cost.  The  trail 
behind  us  is  strewn  with  discarded  machinery  and 
outgrown  ideas.  Alinost  >s  obsolete  as  the  stone  axe 
of  the  savage  are  the  mediaeval  instruments  of  tor- 


THE  SIGNIFICANCE  OF  PROGRESS     23 

ture,  and  the  picturesque  anathemas  with  which  re- 
ligious truth  was  once  enforced.  Could  ideas  become 
visible,  what  mountains  of  false  ideals  should  we  see 
striving  to  hide  themselves  from  the  gaze  of  riper 
intelligence!  And  what  a  strange  procession  should 
we  behold  of  outworn  creeds— once  so  highly  prized ; 
so  stoutly  defended;  but  now  forever  disallowed. 

Change  is  essential  to  progress;  and  progress  is  the 
significance  of  life.  At  no  point  can  life,  or  the  uni- 
verse, stand  still.  Wherefore  the  old  ideas  of  a  com- 
pleted creation  and  a  static  universe,  in  which  earlier 
theological  thought-forms  were  cast,  must  yield  to  the 
newer  idea  of  a  continuous  creation  and  an  eternally 
progressive  universe. 

Gratifying,  in  the  highest  degree,  is  it,  that  an  era 
has  come  when  men  of  intelligence;  in  religion,  as 
in  science;  feel  that  the  future  is  now  assured.  All 
are  convinced  that  no  false  idea  can  live  long  in  sci- 
ence; and  we  are  equally  confident  that  no  untruth 
can  forever  entrench  itself  in  theology.  The  whole 
territory  is  full  of  explorers;  any  one  of  them,  in- 
deed, liable  to  error,  but  every  one  exposed  to  the 
correction  of  all  the  rest.  Were  invest:  -ation  as  free, 
and  discussion  as  tolerated,  in  theology  as  in  science, 
the  Church  could  keep  nearer  the  growing  truth,  and 
its  advance  would  not  be  marked  by  such  cataclysmic 
upheavals,  nor  marred  by  such  hatred  and  feuds  as 
must  always  obtain  where  dying  creeds  are  held  more 
sacred  than  the  living  truth. 

Of  priceless  worth  is  the  present  trend  towards 
liberty  of  thought.     Time  was  when  toleration  was 


24      THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

unknown,  and  persecution  a  virtue.  Now,  however, 
we  are  coming  to  recognize  that  the  universe  is  in- 
comprehensibly great  and  inexpressibly  complex.  All 
men,  but  especially  explorers  in  any  department  of 
truth,  humbly  acknowledge  that  other  minds  may,  at 
certain  points,  approximate  it  more  nearly  than  they. 
Where  none  is  perfect,  and  where  all  have  limitations, 
it  is  not  essential  that  all  should  agree,  but  it  is  essen- 
tial that  all  should  continue  learning,  and  that  eacli 
should  contribute  his  quota  to  the  aggregate.  The 
larger  and  truer  view  of  God  and  the  world  which 
is  ours  to-day  has  come  to  us  as  an  inheritance  from 
many  minds.  Ours  be  it  to  regret  that  they  hated  and 
persecuted  one  another  while  working,  or  even  dving, 
for  the  truth.  Not  ours,  to  maintain  their  unphilo- 
sophic  and  un-Christ-like  spirit.  Poorer  i?  the  world, 
not  richer,  that  it  still  costs  something  to  speak  un- 
falteringly God's  still  unfolding  truth. 

To  all  must  it  be  a  source  of  satisfaction  that  the 
central  body  of  accepted  truth  is  growing  in  volume, 
in  clearness  of  perception,  and  in  definiteness  of  ex- 
pression. That  much  yet  remains  to  be  corrected  in 
our  thinking  and  beliefs — as  well  in  theology  as  in 
science  and  philosophy — must  be  clear  to  all  students; 
and  it  is  to  this  difficult  and  delicate  task  that  these 
pages  are  devoted. 


n 

THE  ULTIMATE  AUTHORITY  IN  RELIGION 

FROM  what  precedes,  it  will  be  seen,  that  our 
view  of  God,  of  nature,  and  of  man,  ought  to 
be  taken,  not  from  the  earliest  but  from  the 
latest  stages  of  development;  not  from  the  lowest  but 
from  the  highest  standpoint  of  vision.  For  every 
added  truth  in  every  sphere  of  knowledge  tends  to  per- 
fect our  conceptions  of  universal  revelation.  All 
lines  lead  up  to  God.  All  truths  are  inter-related; 
and  therefore  mutually  supporting  and  explanatory. 
This  question  of  standpoint  constitutes  the  supreme 
initial  problem  of  thedlogy,  and  represents  a  living 
issue  of  the  moment.  In  every  sphere,  except  that  of 
religion,  problems  are  regarded  from  the  latest  and 
fullest  possible  knowledge.  Not  so,  hitherto,  has  it 
been  in  the  realm  of  theolofy.  It  has  been  taught 
that  God  made  a  revelation  in  the  distant  past,  but 
that  the  period  of  revelation  t!ien  closed.  This  Sacred 
deposit  was  held  as  inerrantly  true,  and  not  only  final, 
but  so  complete,  that  any  attempt  to  add  thereto  would 
be  sinful.  Accordingly,  for  all  authority  in  religion 
we  were  supposed  to  be  dependent  upon  a  period 
almost  two  thousand  years  past.  True,  a  certain  sec- 
tion of  the  Christian  communion,  feeling  the  need  of 
a  continuous  and  progressive  revelati  n,  vests  final 

as 


J 


1i      ill! 


26      THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

authority  in  the  Church.  Yet  another  section  of 
humanity,  realizing  that  all  revelation  has  to  be  in- 
terpretefl  at  the  bar  of  individual  judgment,  finds 
ultimate  authority  in  the  human  reason. 

These  three  are  the  claims  commonly  made  for 
spiritual  authority.  But  from  the  standpoint  of  grow- 
ing revelation  we  can  clearly  see  that  our  final  author- 
ity is  neither  the  Church,  nor  the  Bible,  nor  Reason — 
nor  all  three  combined. 

The  Church  has  authority — and  ought  to  have  more 
than  she  actually  possesses.  Imperfections  attaching 
to  any  institution  tend  to  diminish  its  influence;  while 
the  particular  Church  making  claim  to  supreme 
authority,  because  of  the  infallibility  of  its  temporal 
head,  is  conspicuous  for  its  frailties. 

The  Bible  has  authority,  too,  so  great  that  no  one 
can  trace  the  rise  of  the  supremest  religion  without 
acknowledging  its  unique  claims.  Yet  the  Bible  has 
not  the  same  authority  that  it  would  have  possessed 
had  God  finally  sealed  Himself  and  the  universe  from 
further  contact  with  humanity  after  the  close  of  the 
first  century  a.d. 

Reason  also  has  authority  vastly  greater  than  is 
commonly  conceived,  yet  is  it  not  the  final  authority, 
for  man  is  more  than  a  rational  being. 

So  transcendently  important  is  this  matter,  that 
each  of  the  above  claims  must  be  separately  examined. 
But  it  may  aid  the  reader  if  we  first  attempt  to  bring 
within  the  scope  of  vision  the  whole  problem  of 
authority. 

Man  is  a  complex  being  vitally  inter-re!ated  with  a 


ULTIMATE  AUTHORITY  IN  RELIGION     27 

complex  universe.  Every  plane  of  being— physical, 
mental,  and  spiritual— is  subject  to  its  own  inherent 
laws  an^  therefore  to  a  corresponding  ultimate 
authority.  But  we  find  that  these  rank  hierarchically 
from  lowest  to  highest,  all  being  subject  to  the  Su- 
preme. The  ultimate  authority  in  science  (i.e.,  in 
the  realm  of  the  physical)  is  nature.  The  uhimate 
authority  in  philosophy  (i.e.,  in  the  realm  of  reason) 
is  truth.  The  ultimate  authority  in  morals  (i.e.,  in 
the  realm  of  ethics)  is  right.  And  the  uhimate 
authority  in  religion  (i.e.,  in  the  spiritual  realm) 
is  God. 

Nature  is  her  own  authority,  and  the  scientist  is 
docile  before  her.  He  explores  her  every  phenome- 
non, and  prizes  every  new  advance  as  a  key  to  further 
revelation. 

Truth  is  its  own  authority.  It  neither  needs,  nor 
V  ill  it  permit,  any  finite  institution  to  usuip  its  high 
function.  Human  claims  may  be  made  for  its  ex- 
clusive possession,  but  lo!  it  is  unive-sal.  Crumbling 
systems  fall.  Schools  rise  and  pass  away.  Still 
standeth,  in  growing  sway  and  majesty,  the  living 
truth.  Nor  is  truth  discerned  because  some  external 
candle  is  held  up  to  reveal  it,  Truth  is  self-luminous; 
and  is  perceived  because  it  is  luminous.  Man's  su- 
preme privilege  is  to  discover  and  embrace  it.  "  Ye 
shall  know  the  truth,"  said  Jesus,  "  and  the  truth  shall 
make  you  free." 

God  is  His  own  authority.  He  has  neither  abro- 
gated the  Throne  of  the  universe,  nor  closed  the 
gates  of  revelation.     To  the  ancient  deposit,  new  ad- 


28      THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

ditions  are  constantly  being  made,  which  widen  and 
correct  our  knowledge  of  Him. 

God's  authority,  moreover,  is  self-imposed.  For 
man,  sharing  His  nature,  is  responsive  to  His  Pres- 
ence, and  capable  of  becoming  acquainted  with  wider 
ranges  and  varieties  of  truth — each  element  of  which 
bears  some  message  from  Him.  Divine  authority  is 
inherent.  Where  God  is,  there  is  the  ultimate  spirit- 
ual authority.  Men  are  the  interpreters;  fitted  for 
interpretation  by  manifold  endowment;  and  person- 
ally responsible  for  obedience  to  His  revelations. 
That  is  the  significance  of  conscience ;  and  its  suprem- 
acy in  spiritual  things.  God  Himself  is  the  ulti- 
mate spiritual  authority.  His  self-revelation  is  to- 
day wider,  fuller,  plainer,  than  ever  before.  A  fact 
which  indicates  that  humanity  is  becoming  more  capa- 
ble of  revelation,  and  constitutes  a  prophecy  that  gen- 
erations yet  unborn  will  have  truer  conceptions  of 
God,  and  of  Christ,  of  sin,  and  of  salvation,  than 
we  have.  But  if  this  be  so;  if  there  is  room  for  in- 
creasing and  improved  knowledge  of  God,  then  clearly 
our  privilege,  nay,  our  duty  is  to  view  the  nature  of 
God,  of  atonement,  and  of  immortality  from  the 
standpoint  of  highest  revelation.  Not  from  the  val- 
ley we  are  leaving  behind  us,  but  from  the  heights 
before,  is  the  widest  view  attainable. 

But  the  Church,  the  Reason,  and  the  Scriptures  de- 
mand further  consideration— especially  the  last. 


ULTIMATE  AUTHORITY  IN  RELIGION     29 


I.     THE  CHURCH   OF   ROME  AS   ULTIMATE   AUTHORITY 
IN    RELIGION 

Neither  the  Greek,  nor  the  Protestant  Church, 
makes  claims  approaching  those  of  the  Church  of 
Rome.  For  neither  has  a  central  temporal  head. 
But  the  organization  of  the  Roman  Church  culminates 
in  a  central  infallible  Head— Christ's  Vicar  on  earth 
—who  speaking  ex  cathedra  is  the  final  religious 
authority  in  the  world.  In  his  own  communion  this 
claim  is  devoutly  acceded.  Outside,  it  is  denied  and 
resented. 

Papal  infallibility  as  a  doctrine  follows  by  inevitable 
logic  from  the  Roman  theory  of  the  Church.  Is  she 
not  a  Divine  institution,  led  by  Christ's  Vicar  him- 
self? By  very  necessity,  it  would  appear,  she  must 
be  infallible;  and  that  infallibility  must  inhere  in  her 
Divinely  appointed  head — the  successor  of  Peter. 

Tried  at  the  bar  of  history,  however.  Papal  claims 
fail  on  a  three- fold  count. 

1.  In  the  light  of  claims  so  lofty,  it  might  have  been 
expected  that  this  Church  at  least  would  have  re- 
mained pure.  No  pleasure  is  it  to  refer  to  the  im- 
morality, intrigue,  cruelty,  and  superstition  which 
mark  the  history  of  the  Roman  Church.  To  extenu- 
ate her  faults  by  saying  that  the  entire  age  of  which 
we  are  writing  was  corrupt,  may  be  generous.  But 
moral  impurity  in  her  priesthood  and  especially  in 
the  persons  who  wore  the  purple,  is  poor  support  for 
claims  so  exalted. 

2.  It  might  have  been  supposed  that  an  infallibly 


30     THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

governed  institution  would  have  been  wisely  and  truly 
led.  Yet  through  all  enlightened  ages  must  this 
church  bear  the  condemnation  of  humanity  for  an- 
tagonizing science.  Tongue  cannot  tell  how  im- 
measurably poorer  the  world  is,  and  long  has  been, 
because  of  this  fundamental  error  in  her  government. 

3.  An  infallibly  guided  institution — according  to 
its  own  claims — ought  to  have  been  successful.  Yet 
so  grievously  failed  the  Papal  power,  that  to  restore 
Christianity,  with  its  spiritual  liberty  and  principles 
of  advancement,  required  a  Renaissance  and  a  Refor- 
mation. 

Readers  generally  are  familiar  with  the  story  of 
Europe's  delivery  from  the  pall  of  the  Roman  Church. 
Not  so  many  know  that  the  losses  sustained  by  her 
in  the  sixteenth  century  were  meagre  compared  with 
her  sweeping  loss  of  influence  in  the  seventh  century. 
How  many  Christians  realize  that  Mohammedanism 
is  in  any  sense  a  recoil  from  Christianity?  Yet  the 
Koran  reveals  its  relationship  to  the  precec'lng  faith, 
while  Mohammedan  doctrine  and  Mohammedan  con- 
quest show  direct  antagonism  to  Christianity,  i.e.,  to 
Christianity  as  Mohammed  and  his  successors  under- 
stood it. 

To  Cyril,  Patriarch  of  Alexandria,  whose  monks 
dismembered  the  body  of  Hypatia,  the  Church  owes 
its  peculiar  phrase  "  Mother  of  God,"  which  did  more 
than  anything  else  to  excite  Mohammed's  indignant 
resentment.  Long  had  raged  the  dispute  regarding 
this  doctrine;  Nestorius  contending  that  the  Virgin 
Mary  should  not  be  regarded  as  "  the  Mother  of 


^11  'i 


ULTIMATE  AUTHORITY  IN  RELIGION     31 

God  "  but  only  as  the  mother  of  Christ,  the  God-man." 
Enlarging  on  the  attributes  of  the  illimitable  and 
Eternal  Qod,  the  Bishop  of  Constantinople  exclaimed, 
"and  can  this  God  have  a  Mother?  .  .  .  could  the 
creature  bear  the  Uncreated  ?  " 

But  the  advocates  of  rational  thought  Tell  beneath 
the  mtrigue  and  ambition  of  Cyril.  At  the  Council 
of  Ephesus.  before  Nestorius  and  the  Syrian  Bishops 
could  arrive,  the  whole  matter  was  settled  in  one 
swift  day.  The  Virgin's  party  triumphed.  Mary 
was  made  "the  Mother  of  God."  Multitudes, 
offended  by  the  grotesque  suggestion,  and  resenting 
current  gross  explanations  of  the  Trinity,  joined  cause 
with  the  Nestorians.  It  was  feelings  of  this  nature 
which  actuated  Mohammed,  when  he  abandoned 
polytheism  for  Monotheism,  to  reject  the  doctrine  of 
the  Trinity.  He  seems  never  to  have  been  able  to 
conceive  the  doctrine  as  other  than  tri-theism.  Wor- 
ship of  Mary,  and  the  making  of  her  "  Mother  of 
God,"  led  him  to  think  of  the  Trinity  as  the  Father 

lu^J°"'  ^""^  *^'  ^''■«^'"  <^°"^<^rt.  To  quote  Muir 
(  The  Life  of  Mohammed,"  p.  22),  "  The  worship 
of  Mary  was  exhibited  in  so  gross  a  form  as  to  leave 
the  impression  on  the  mind  of  Mohammed  that  she 
was  held  to  be  a  goddess,  if  not  the  Third  Person  of 
the  Deity." 

In  the  Koran,  Mohammed  never  refers  to  Jesus  as 
the  Son  of  God,  but  uniformly  as  "  Son  of  Mary." 
The  Koran,  also,  representing  Jesus  at  the  last  day 
as  under  trial  regarding  the  above  doctrines,  has  the 
following  remarkable  passage:  "And  when  God  shall 


4 

I 


32      THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

say  O  Jesus,  Son  of  Mary!  didst  thou  speak  unto 
mankind  saying — Take  me  and  my  M'^*her  for  two 
Gods  beside  the  Lord?  He  shall  say, — Glory  be  to 
Thee!  it  is  not  for  me  to  say  that  which  I  know  to 
be  not  the  truth."     (Sura  V.) 

Again  in  the  Koran  it  is  written,  "  Wherefore  be- 
lieve in  God  and  in  the  Apostles:  and  say  not  there 
are  three.  Refrain,  it  will  be  well  for  you."  (Sura 
IV.) 

The*  Caliph  Omar,  who  took  Jerusalem  the  birth- 
place of  Christianity,  expressed  similar  sentiments  in 
a  letter  to  Htraclius  the  Roman  Emperor,  "  Praise 
be  to  God,  the  Lord  of  this  and  the  oilier  world,  who 
has  neither  female  consort,  nor  son,  etc." 

Mohammedanism,  as  its  Muezzin  cry  implies,  stands 
expressly  for  the  extinction  of  polytheism,  tri-theism, 
and  idolatry;  "  God  is  One  (not  three,  not  .nany), 
and  Mohammed  is  His  prophet."  When  we  come  to 
examine  results,  as  displayed  by  subsequent  history, 
it  is  found  that  at  Mohammed's  birth,  570  a.d.,  Chris- 
tianity had  already  become  largely  Romanized  and 
held  predominant  sway  in  the  civilized  world. 
Wherever  the  eagles  of  Rome  had  gone,  and  far 
beyond,  Christianity  had  extended.  Pure  and  well- 
guided  the  Church  might  have  retained  her  enormous 
power.  As  it  was  she  lost  (Oh!  the  pathos  of  it) 
almost  the  whole  world: — ^Jerusalem,  the  Home  of 
Christianity;  Alexandria,  the  world's  centre  of  learn- 
ing; Carthage,  the  rival  of  Alexandria.  These  rap- 
idly fell  from  her.  Constantinople  had  rejected  the 
infallible  authority  before*;  only  to  fall  later  under 


- 


ULTIMATE  AUTHORITY  IN  RELIGION     33 

Islam.  The  Church  of  supreme  claims  had  lost  Asia, 
Africa,  and  part  of  Europe— Palestine,  Egypt,  Spain 
—and  almost  Rome  itself;  its  last  and  sole  centre. 
Had  it  not  been  for  Charles  Martel  the  City  of  the 
Seven  Hills  would  have  become  Moslem  too.  No 
Christian  can  feel  grateful  to  the  Hierarchy  for  its 
so-called  infallible  guidance  in  those  critical  days 

But  again.  In  the  sixteenth  century,  Romanism 
had  become  paramount  in  the  West.  Europe  was  at 
the  feet  of  the  Papal  Power.  So  familiar  are  the 
facts  regarding  a  need  for  Reformation,  and  the 
swift  response  of  oppressed  Europe  to  the  voice  of 
reform,  that  the  Papal  losses  then  ir.urred  manifest 
to  us,  better  than  the  greater  losses  under  Islam,  the 
fallibility  of  the  institution  against  which  Protestant- 
ism is  a  standing  protest. 

II.     REASON  AS  THE  ULTIMATE  AUTHORITY  IN 
RELIGION 

Reason  fails  as  the  supreme  authority  in  religion 
because  of  its  limitations.  Competent  to  pass  judg- 
ment upon  truths  of  its  own  order,  it  is  but  one  of 
the  judges  seated  upon  the  throne  of  man's  complex 
nature.  Reason  has  authority,  yet  is  it  not  our  final 
and  only  authoritative  voice;  for  man  is  more  than 
a  rational  being.  Were  he  that  and  nothing  more,  he 
might  be  a  logician,  a  mathematician,  or  an  inventor ; 
but  he  would  be  dead  to  the  world  of  beauty  and  of 
emotion;  could  have  no  craving  for  immortality; 
would  be  unconscious  of  obligation,  and  incapable  of 
worship.    As  it  is,  he  is  not  only  a  rational,  but  also 


34     THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

an  emotional,  moral,  and  religious  being.  He  is 
dowered  with  the  capacity  of  love  and  holiness,  has 
intuitions  of  God,  and  yearns  to  be  what  he  is  not. 
Moreover,  the  structure  of  society  attests  that  these 
powers  are  fundamental ;  i.e.,  essential  to  man's  being 
as  an  individual,  as  well  as  to  his  intercourse  with 
other  spiritual  beings. 

Since  every  human  faculty  is  a  Divine  endowment, 
expressly  bestowed  as  the  avenue  to  some  phase  of 
truth,  why  should  we  trust  certain  faculties  abso- 
lutely, and  deny,  or  distrust  others?  Is  it  not  con- 
ceded that  man  approaches  completeness  according  as 
his  entire  manifold  nature  is  developed?  Yet  man's 
aesthetic,  emotional,  and  moral  life  present  phenomena 
which  cannot  be  passed  upon  by  cold  reason.  As  a 
Voice  of  God,  reason  guards  against  irrational  con- 
duct and  illogical  thinking;  but  above  it  stands  the 
Moral  voice,  and  environing  it  like  an  atmosphere, 
flow  the  tides  of  our  emotional  and  apsthetic  being. 
If  we  are  to  be  true  to  ourselves,  or  the  God  who 
dowered  us  with  His  profound  nature,  we  must  re- 
spond faithfully  to  the  call  of  His  emotional,  aesthetic, 
moral,  and  religious  "  voices  "  just  as  we  do  to  reason. 
Less  than  this  would  be  a  hardening  of  the  heart,  a 
quenching  of  the  Spirit,  a  resistance  against  God. 
Less  than  this  would  be  enfamishment  of  some  part 
of  our  being.  The  whole  man,  to  attain  a  complete 
experience,  must  be  true  to  himself  throughout. 

IVe  need  as  many  tests  and  measures  of  truth  as 
there  are  types  and  phases  of  reality.  Scales  appro- 
priately  test   weight;    not   temperature,   nor   colour. 


ill 


ULTIMATE  AUTHORITY  IN  RELIGION     35 

Electrometers  measure  magnetic  currents,  not  chem- 
ical reactions.  As  vision  is  no  test  of  sounds  nor 
hearing  oA  taste,  so  is  it  in  the  supernatural  realm. 
Every  phase  o"  intellectual,  aesthetic,  o*-  emotional  life 
has  its  api  fpriale  Icsi.  No  one  faculty  is  competent 
to  do  dut  ti  r  all.  Mjch  less  is  reason  capable  of 
testing  the    i'i)Ci-ratiot  al. 

Religion  is  intuuioiial,  emotional,  imaginative;  a 
thing  of  faith  and  feeling.  Reason;  one  of  man's 
later  powers  to  develop ;  exact  and  exacting,  is  useful 
as  a  defence,  but  must  remain  auxiliary  and  subordi- 
nate to  the  finer  senses  of  the  soul.  In  short,  reason 
is  not  the  ultimate  authority  in  religion, 

III.     THE   BIBLE  AS   THE   ULTIMATE   AUTHORITY 
IN   RELIGION 

To  maintain  that  God's  Presence  is  a  living  self- 
revelation,  not  limited  to  an>  ,ie  age  or  to  ai.y  one 
people,  is  but  a  reverent  recognition  of  His  Omni- 
presence, and  in  no  sense  discredits  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures. Such  a  claim  expressly  recognizes  Scripture 
as  a  record  of  revelations  made  through  holy  men  of 
old  who  were  moved  by  the  Spirit  of  God.  A  period 
there  was,  uncounted  centuries  long,  before  the  writ- 
ings we  so  dearly  cherish  began  to  take  form.  Then, 
stage  by  stage,  came  the  revelations  which  ior  us  have 
been  recorded  there.  Well-nigh  two  thousand  years 
have  passed  since  the  latest  writings  were  penned. 
Not  sterile  centuries  these.  Floods  of  revelation  still 
continue  to  inundate  mankind,  and  to  ihange  our  out- 
look upon  universal  truth.     Yet  among  the  moulding 


Il 


36     THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

forces,  making  history  and  elevating  the  human  race, 
ranks  pre-eminently  the  Gospel  of  the  Living  God. 
So  great  is  the  power  of  the  Bible  as  a  civilizing, 
educational,  and  redeeming  influence  that  it  is  probable 
only  coming  ages  will  be  able  to  appreciate  -s  stu- 
pendous power  in  the  moulding  of  humanity's  prog- 
ress. 

To  see  it  aright  we  must  perceive,  not  its  religious 
revelation,  and  its  missionary  impulse  alone,  but  also 
its  transcendent  literary  motive  and  its  socializing  in- 
fluence as  well.  More  than  any  other  single  factor 
it  has  contributed  to  the  dissemination  of  God's  re- 
deeming, refining,  and  inter-nationalizing  truth.  Un- 
approachable as  a  spiritual  revelation,  and  as  a  pro- 
moter of  civilization,  it  is  the  only  religious  literature 
in  the  world  which  is,  even  remotely,  universal  in  its 
appeal.  Wonderful  past  conceiving,  has  been  the 
recent  spread  of  the  Sacred  Scriptures,  yet  the  career 
of  the  Biblo  seems  to  be  but  entering  upon  its  con- 
quering phase.  Its  future  will  inevitably  transcend 
all  past  achievements;  and  the  loyalty  which  hitherto 
has  cherished  it  as  the  only  true  revelation  of  God, 
is  destined  to  inspire  universal  humanity  with  inex- 
pressible gratitude  for  its  unique  place  and  potency 
as  a  prime,  but  not  exhaustive  factor,  in  revealing 
God  to  man. 

To  regard  the  Bible  aright  we  must  perceive  that 
no  other  sacred  writings  stand  on  the  same  plane. 
Many  are  the  other  Scriptures  sacredly  cherished  by 
countless  multitudes — Indian,  Chinese,  Persian,  Ara- 
bian— but  all  inferior  in  quality,  as  well  as  in  form, 


ULTIMATE  AUTHORITY  IN  RELIGION     t,7 

and  in  the  universality  of  their  appeal.  To  see  the 
Bible  as  it  is  we  must  perceive  that  it  is  not  a  unity 
merely,  but^an  organism.  That  is,  the  Bible,  unlike 
other  sacred  literatures,  is  the  product  and  expression 
of  a  single  i.  t.  We  name  the  Gospels  as  a  four-fold 
portrait  of  that  Life.  But  in  point  of  fact,  the  Bible 
contains  a  six-fold  life  of  Christ:  one  in  the  Old 
Testament,  wholly  nrophetic ;  four  in  the  Gospels ;  and 
one,  the  sixth,  recc  Js  His  Institutional  Incarnation  in 
the  Church.  To  suppose  that  even  so  manifold  a 
revelation  of  God's  life  is  exhaustive  would  be  to 
misunderstand  Him,  yet  it  is  because  of  His  Personal 
approach  in  the  Incarnate  Christ  that  the  Scriptures 
of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments  possess  their  singular 
place  in  universal  revelation,  and  their  unique  in- 
fluence as  an  agency  in  Redemption. 

Again,  revelation  is  prior  to,  and  independent  of 
the  book  which  records  it.  Accordingly,  to  see  the 
Bible  as  it  is,  we  must  regard  it  not  as  a  revelation, 
but  as  a  record  of  many  revelations;  not  as  a  book, 
but  as  a  comprehensive  literature  produced  during  fif- 
teen centuries  of  earth's  most  tragic  and  eventful  his- 
tory. Written  by  many  and  various  men,  in  different 
lands  and  different  languages;  it  comprises  Law  and 
History,  Proverb,  Psalm  and  Prophecy,  Biography 
and  Vision.  Its  prose,  like  its  poetry,  is  exalted  alike 
in  conception  and  style,  and,  at  the  end  of  the  ages, 
it  still  stands  our  unexampled  model  of  literature.  To 
compare  it  with  any  single  book  would  be  unjust. 
To  compare  any  single  book  with  it  would  be  im- 
possible.    To  bring  it  into  relationship  with  any  other 


38     THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

religious  literature  is  to  institute  a  contrast  rather  than 
a  comparison— so  unique  is  its  character  and  function. 
Its  conquests,  who  shall  recount  them?  Beyond 
human  genius  is  it  to  describe,  or  human  insight  to 
conceive,  what  it  has  accomplished  or  is  destined  to 
effect  as  a  channel  of  revelation  to  man;  yet  is  the 
Bible  not  the  final  court  of  appeal,  nor  the  ultimate 
authority  in  rclifion.  The  same  God  whose  self-rev- 
elation it  records  is  still  revealing  Himself.  The  same 
authority  that  produced  the  Scriptures  is  our  author- 
ity to-day.  Not  less  known  than  then;  but  much 
more  fully  known.  And  every  passing  day  is  He  be- 
ing less  misunderstood. 

It  is  unfair  to  the  Scriptures  to  represent  them  as 
final.  That  were  to  commit  a  double  error.  Because 
to  read  them  truly  we  must  view  them  widely  as  part 
of  God's  universal  revelation.  Again  we  must  honour 
God  for  having  given  the  Hebrews  a  revelation  that 
does  not  forever  block  the  way  to  further  revelation. 
Not  much  earlier,  perhaps,  but  now  certainly  hu- 
manity has  attained  a  stage  where  we  can  clearly  see 
that  revelation  is  progressive  and  that  great  advance 
has  been  made  since  the  canon  of  the  Sacred  Scrip- 
tures was  closed.  A  fascinating  story  is  this  fixing 
of  the  canon;  and  most  instructive  light  does  it  shed 
on  man's  attitude  toward  its  authority.  Five  distinct 
stages  are  marked  in  the  building  of  the  canon. 
These  need  wt  he  enumerated  here,*  suffice  it  to  say 
that  in  each  ca.se.  stage  by  stage,  as  the  canon  grew, 

*For  brief  and  available  statement,  see  article  in  Encyclo- 
paedia Britanuica. 


ULTIMATE  AUTHORITY  IN  RELIGION     39 

the  parts  took  on  a  value  which  they  did  not  possess 
before  the  Editors,  Synods,  or  Councils  pronounced 
them  divini.  They  had  been  preserved  for  their  in- 
herent worth — some  of  them  for  centuries — and  every 
portion  finally  attained  its  place  in  the  canon  because 
bodies  of  men  adjudged  them  worthy.  But  so  soon 
as  that  judgment  was  put  into  effect  men  came  to 
regard  them,  not  as  the  highest  religious  literature  of 
the  age,  precious  as  a  guiding  revelation,  but  abso- 
lutely as  God's  exact  word,  and  His  last  word. 

Never  has  the  value  of  the  Holy  Scripture  been 
questioned.  By  universal  consent  they  stand  supreme 
above  all  other  religious  books  of  the  world;  a  price- 
less revelation  to  man;  and  that  by  the  right  of  in- 
herent merit.  All  this  is  beyond  cavil.  What  has 
come  up  for  reconsideration  is  the  absolute  authority 
given  them  by  enclosing  them  in  a  canon. 

To  separate  them  so  sharply  from  all  other  writings 
gives  a  view  of  inspiration  which  makes  two  mutually 
exclusive  classes  of  literature.  One  is  absolutely 
Divine.  The  other  wholly  human;  or  worse.  With 
the  latter  God  has  no  interest.  For  the  former  He 
is  wholly  responsible.  One  need  not  be  trusted.  The 
other  can  be  rejected  only  at  the  soul's  eternal  peril. 

Let  us  suppose  that  the  canon  of  Sacred  Scripture 
had  never  been  closed,  what  difference  would  have 
resulted  to  the  authority  of  God's  written  revelation? 
In  the  first  place  the  same  books  would  have  been 
retained,  since  each  by  merit  survived  the  judgment 
of  its  age.  Other  writings  were  rejected  because  ad- 
judged inferior.     But  if  the  sentiment  of  any  age 


I 


40     THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

could  safely  distinguish  the  true  from  the  spurious,  the 
precious  from  the  unworthy,  surely  succeeding  ages 
could  be  trusted  also  to  distinguish  for  themselves. 
The  works  of  Plato  and  Aristotle,  of  Euclid  and 
Newton,  of  Milton  and  Shakespeare  have  survived 
because  of  inherent  merit.  Nothing  else  could  pre- 
serve them.  They  hold  their  crowning  place  and  in- 
fluence notwithstanding  criticism.  Increasing  knowl- 
edge has  exposed  points  at  which  these  prodigies  of 
the  past  held  misconceptions — every  writer  being  the 
child  of  his  age — yet  their  worth  makes  them  a  golden 
heritage  from  golden  ages  past,  to  be  cherished  so 
long  as  the  race  endures. 

In  the  second  place,  consequently,  had  the  canon 
not  been  declared  closed,  yet  would  the  Scriptures 
have  survived  by  their  own  intrinsic  worth.  Not 
placed  beyond  human  judgment,  but  satisfying  human 
need.  Any  book  not  possessing  sufficient  value  to  live 
in  a  free  world  would  die  because  of  its  inefficiency — 
and  ought  so  to  die. 

God,  having  equipped  man  for  investigation,  noth- 
ing can  escape  it.  Men  are  developed  by  the  exercise 
of  their  powers — God  working  within  to  the  same 
purpose — therefore  men  should  be  as  free  as  they  are 
devout.  The  Prophets  corrected  Hebrew  conceptions 
regarding  sacrifice.  Jesus  corrected  Hebrew  regula- 
tions regarding  divorce.  And  so  soon  as  science 
brought  us  God's  later  revelation  it  enabled  us  to 
transcend  the  ideas  of  the  Hebrew  cosmogony. 

This  is  a  process  not  to  be  dreaded,  but  to  be  wel- 
comed.   Why  should  we  care  to  retain  any  imperfect 


ULTIMATE  AUTHORITY  IN  RELIGION     41 

revelation  when  the  higher  one  is  given,  or  cherish 
any  misconceptions  whatsoever  ?  We  honour  prophets 
and  explorers  who  advanced  beyond  ages  preceding 
them;  then  let  us  be  worthy  of  coming  generations 
by  declaring  Grf)d's  glorious  revelations  wherever  and 
whenever  we  perceive  them. 

If  we  accept  the  Scriptures  as  they  are,  we  should 
not  fear  to  correct  them  as  God  unfolds  His  growing 
glory.  Nor  should  we  fear  to  lose  them.  They  are 
permanent,  not  because  inerrant,  but  because,  like  the 
works  of  Euclid,  Kepler,  Newton,  and  Laplace,  they 
record  the  transcendent  discoveries  which  mark  stages 
of  advance  in  revelation;  chiefly,  however,  as  before 
stated,  because  they  contain  the  Life  of  Jesus,  i.e.,  a 
Personal  revelation  of  God  among  men. 

But  the  closing  of  the  canon  was  a  perfectly  natural 
procedure  in  the  age  when  it  was  done — was  indeed 
inevitable— and  proved  of  enormous  immediate  worth 
to  the  Church,  since  it  armed  it  with  an  instrument  of 
tremendous  power.  For  compelling  attention,  and 
moulding  the  thought  of  untutored  millions,  no  other 
means  could  have  been  so  eflfective. 

In  an  age  when  mankind  was  unfamiliar  with 
philosophy  and  unacquainted  with  science,  there  was 
no  staying  point  for  the  masses  except  authority. 
Early  people,  like  children  of  early  age,  must  be  gov- 
erned by  authority ;  making  obedience  the  prime  virtue. 
But,  with  the  development  of  mankind,  authority  can 
no  longer  remain  external  to  be  enforced  by  threats 
or  punishment;  it  becomes  internal  and  its  weight  is 
in  proportion  to  its  appeal. 


42      THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

What  we  have  come  to  recognize,  is  that  the  fast 
and  hard  Hnes  of  the  uncritical  ages  are  scarcely  justi- 
fied, since  we  see  that  the  fencing  thrown  about  sacred 
literature  was  of  a  temporary  nature ;  and  that  rev  .la- 
tion  did  not  actually  cease. 

To  many  devout  hearts  who  cling  to  the  conception 
of  a  narrow  and  special  inspiration,  no  enlargement 
of  revelation  into  a  universal  flood,  can  come  as  com- 
pensation. Is  it  not  written  that  "  Holy  men  of  old 
spake  as  they  were  moved  by  the  Holy  Spirit  " ?  Yes, 
but  it  is  a  poor  recognition  of  God  to  believe  that  no 
others  have  ever  been  moved  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  God 
has  always  been  trying  to  reveal  Himself  to  men. 
Pentecost  was  only  one  of  the  greater  stages  in  the 
general  progress.  But  were  not  the  Scriptures  pro- 
duced by  a  special  inspiration?  Yes!  Vastly  im- 
portant is  it  for  us  to  perceive  that  part  of  the  con- 
tents of  Scripture  were  most  especially  inspired.  That 
other  portions  have  lower  value,  it  is  necessary  to 
recognize,  in  order  to  accept  God's  unceas  ng  correc- 
tion of  ancient  misconceptions.  Is  it  not  written  that 
"  Every  Scripture  inspired  of  God  is  also  profitable 
for  teaching,  for  reproof,  for  correction,  for  instruc- 
tion which  is  in  righteousne  s;  that  the  man  of  God 
may  be  complete,  furnished  completely  unto  every 
good  work"?  (2  Tim.  3:  16,  17).  Assuredly!  That 
is  the  very  point  we  would  establish.  Inspiration  is 
spiritual  quickening,  and  was  not  confined  to  one  par- 
ticular nation,  nor  exclusively  to  a  few  individuals. 
God's  spirit  is  poured  out  upon  all  rtesh.  God  works 
in  every  man,  and  all  to  one  purpose.     Only  choice 


ULTIMATE  AUTHORITY  IN  RELIGION     43 


spirits  are  capable  of  the  highest  revelation.  But  it 
is  the  character  of  the  revelation  that  proves  the  de- 
gree of  the,  inspiration.  Balaam  was  a  "heathen" 
(to  use  current  speech),  yet  his  utterance  attests  in- 
spiration of  an  exalted  order. 

There  is  only  one  kind  of  inspiration;  and  that  is 
spiritual.  It  is  God's  method  of  moving  men,  to  see, 
to  think,  to  be,  to  speak,  to  do.  It  makes  Seers  and 
prophets  in  one  realm ;  inventors  and  discoverers  in 
another ;  artists  and  musicians  in  another.  Unless  we 
see  God  in  all  truth,  we  shall  not  otherwise  perceive 
Him  truly  in  any. 

There  are  as  many  departments  of  inspiration  as 
there  are  of  truth.  The  inspiration  of  Scripture  is 
unique,  not  because  its  type  of  inspiration  was  after- 
wards withdrawn,  and  a  change  made  in  God's  method 
of  operation;  but  rather  in  the  quality  and  purpose 
of  the  revelation  given.  Every  ultimate  revelation 
must  remain  unique  and  final.  It  cannot  be  repeated. 
Once  Monotheism  is  revealed  there  can  be  no  further 
advance  in  that  direction.  There  can  be  no  redis- 
covery of  Universal  Gravitation.  Evolution  once  de- 
tected constitutes  a  revelation,  and  is  so  far  final. 
It  cannot  be  duplicated.  The  Bible  stands  for  the 
supreme  word  of  God  because  of  its  unique  contents, 
and  it  is  the  natttre  of  the  contents  that  attests  the 
quality  of  the  inspiration.  Not  vice  versa,  as  we 
have  been  wont  to  think. 

Was  the  inspiration  of  Isaiah  different  in  nature 
from  that  of  Bunyan  ?  Not  in  riature — but  in  quality 
and  purpose.     Of  course  it  would  be  inconsequent  as 


II 


j 


44     THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

well  as  unfair  to  compare  the  inspiration  of  Moses 
or  Isaiah  or  Paul  with  that  of  Shakespeare  or  any 
author  not  writing  for  spiritual  purposes,  because  the 
quality  of  inspiration  is  personal.  God  works  His 
way  through  the  vehicle  He  has  prepared.  The  in- 
spiration of  the  poet,  inventor,  or  author  in  any  other 
line,  is  incapable  of  comparison  with  that  of  the 
spiritual  prophet.  Beyond  this  essential  distinction 
every  man  who  is  moved  of  God  is  un^'.er  inspiration 
of  the  same  nature  as  that  which  operated  upon 
Jeremiah  the  Prophet,  or  Luke  the  companion  of 
Paul.  The  differences  are  the  manifold  differences  of 
personality,  purpose,  and  degree. 

Yet  again  must  it  be  noted,  that  the  revelations  oi' 
God  and  His  universe  which  have  served  to  correct 
many  of  our  previous  misconceptions,  have  come  to 
•  largely  through  channels  non-religious  in  character; 
a  proof  that  God  has  not  confined  revelation  wholly 
to  religious  media.  Every  line  and  phase  of  truth 
in  the  boundless  universe  comes  to  the  docile  spirit  as 
a  message  straight  from  God. 

Any  untrue  claim  put  forth  on  behalf  of  Scripture 
does  harm  by  reducing  the  proper  influence  of  the 
Bible.  Because  mistaken  claims  were  made  for  the 
Sacred  writings,  they  have  been  compelled  repeatedly 
to  recede  from  untenable  positions. 

In  fine,  to  place  ultimate  religious  authority  in  the 
Church,  the  Bible,  or  Reason,  is  to  build  external  de- 
fences about  the  truth,  which  one  by  one  fall  before 
the  enemy — yet,  miracle  of  miracles,  the  Truth  moves 
freely  among  the  warring  forces  uninjured.     The  In- 


ULTIMATE  AUTHORITY  IN  RELIGION     45 

fallible  Church  proves  herself  most  fallible.  Th(» 
Bible  contains  an  inaccurate  cosmogony.  Reason, 
after  yieldif^g  barricade  after  barricade,  has  been  com- 
pelled to  fall  brk  and  acknowledge  that  she  is  but 
ancillary  to  the  spiritual  sense.  Every  claim  made 
so  far  for  authority  has  failed.  God's  own  keep 
moving  up  to  higher  levels,  led  on  by  the  compulsion 
of  new  revelations,  until  it  is  seen  that  God  is  His  own 
authority ;  and  developing  spirits  His  interpreters.  He 
and  they  are  evolving  ever  clearer  and  stronger  typed  of 
life — an  advancing  revelation. 

There  could  be  no  Church,  if  God  through  men  had 
not  evolved  it.  There  could  have  ')een  no  Bible,  if 
God  through  men  had  not  produced  it.  To  say  that 
revelation  has  ceased  would  be  to  maintain  that  God 
had  ended  His  activity;  that  men  were  no  longer  in 
living  touch  with  Him;  and  that  no  further  progress 
was  possible.  Whereas,  since  the  Church  was 
founded  and  the  N.  T.  Canon  closed,  advancement 
has  been  made  in  every  realm  of  truth.  Christianity 
suffers  not  the  limitations  which  would  make  it  "  the 
religion  of  a  book."  That  it  is  a  religion  with  a 
book  is  the  world's  lasting  gain.  But  to  reject  uni- 
versal revelation  and  the  infinite  voices  of  Omnipres- 
ent God,  for  that  reason,  would  be  neither  religious 
nor  rational.  Nothing  less  than  all  truth  can  be  ac- 
cepted as  sacred  and  binding. 

Truth  has  fixed  principles,  as  immutable  as  the 
God  whose  nature  they  reveal — dependent  never  upon 
authorities.  Were  all  that  is  written  on  logic  blotted 
out,  another  logic  would  be  produced  on  the  old 


46     THE  SCIRNCI-:  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

lines.  Were  mathematics,  art,  and  poetry,  all  physics, 
chemistry,  and  psychology  obliterated,  another  mathe- 
matic,  art,  ..lysics,  and  i)sycholugy  would  arise  on 
principles  virtually  identical,  because  predetermined  by 
God,  and  but  discovered  by  man.  In  the  new  mathe- 
matic  two  plus  two  would  still  be  four.  The  same 
numl)er  of  vibrations  would  produce  the  same  notes. 
The  same  chemical  combinations  W(juld  still  take 
place. 

In  poetry,  art,  and  literature,  there  would  inevitably 
be  greater  variations,  because  while  the  principles  are 
eternal  and  inherent,  their  expression  must  be  less  ex- 
act. Yet  the  beautiful  would  still  be  beautiful,  and 
the  ugly  oflfensive.  In  religion  would  be  found  the 
greatest  of  all  variations,  because  in  religion  greater 
range  of  variation  is  possible.  But  the  character'' of 
God  would  still  be  love.  Sin  would  still  be  deadly 
and  injustice  hateful.  Conscience  would  remain  the 
organ  of  ethical  authority,  and  faith  the  spiritual 
sense,  responsive  to  God's  living  appeal. 

In  short,  so  long  as  God  and  His  children  are  in 
communication,  religion  will  grow  in  volume,  in  pu- 
rity, and  in  power.  This  will  result  from  the  normal 
operation  of  spiritual  life.  "  It  is  God  that  worketh  in 
you  both  to  will  and  to  do  of  His  good  pleasure." 

But  can  we  expect  anything  new;  anything  origi- 
nal? Yes,  God  is  always  original.  Progress  re- 
quires further  light,  and  farther  leading.  The  origi- 
nal need  not  be  feared,  for  the  original  is  the  divine. 
What  is  yet  to  be  unfolded  is  of  necessity  new.  Stili 
we  :      J  it,  and  God  is  forcing  it  ever  upon  us. 


l~  m 


ULTIMATE  AUTHORITY  IN  RFXIGION    47 

No  one  can  review  the  situation  without  perceiving 
that,  notwithstanding  racial  inertia,  God  has  taken 
possession  \of  human  thinking.  By  channels  not 
deemed  religious  He  has  taught  men  to  prize  truth 
and  to  search  for  ultimate  solutions.  He  has  come 
to  His  creatures  in  ten  thousand  unexpected  ways,  re- 
vising their  conceptions,  correcting  their  fundamental 
notions,  and  imposing  a  conscientiousness  which  is 
actually  a  new  thing  in  the  earth,  until,  unnoticed 
miracle,  He  has  produced  in  the  ever-developing  hu- 
man consciousness  a  spiritual  sentiment — b,  Living 
Revelation — which  tests  every  religious  claim,  and 
brings  before  Itself  rU  earlier  revelations  for  prac- 
tical .ippraisement. 

From  unexpected  quarte*  "-d  has  invaded  hu- 
manity, taking  possession  oi  i  ■  race  more  largely 
than  we  have  suspected — or  even  dared  consciously 
to  think.  Our  need  is  to  bring  to  consciousness  the 
actual  movement,  and  to  feel  the  triumph  of  the  new 
possession.  What  is  wanted  is  a  body  of  investi- 
gators in  the  spiritual  realm,  as  intent  upon  attaining 
ultimate  truth  as  are  the  enthusiasts  in  our  physical 
and  psychological  laboratories. 

But  stay;  if  the  reins  were  thus  thrown  as  freely 
in  theological  as  in  other  realms  of  investigation, 
would  not  general  wreckage  or  disaster  ensue?  No! 
In  the  first  place  a  developed  people  can  be  led  only 
as  they  are  convinced.  Next,  general  principles  are 
as  constant  in  religion  as  in  any  other  science.  Again, 
students  in  this  realm  are  just  as  anxious  to  attain 
truth  as  investigators  in  other  fields.    But  if  a  little 


'•'m&t".^ 


i: 


48     THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

lawlessness  and  exuberance  should  accompany  early 
freedom,  it  would  pass  a  transient  phase.  Facti- 
tious authority  would  s'  .  wane,  and  a  great  era  of 
spiritual  quickening  ensue.  Ultimately  we  must  trust 
God,  the  universe,  and  our  inborn  faculties  freely. 
Toward  such  a  universal  reign  our  Lord  is  leading  us. 

That  the  past  has  been  marked  by  an  evolution  in 
religion  is  attested  by  history.  That  there  is  in  prog- 
ress at  this  present  moment  a  process  which  will  con- 
tinue is  as  certain  as  the  passing  of  the  seasons.  Re- 
sisted, or  ignored,  it  may  be  less  direct  and  slower, 
but  if  the  religious  guides  of  our  day  could  discern 
its  trend;  take  the  true  curve  of  its  arc;  and  make 
a  clear  chart  of  its  orbit,  then  with  less  friction  and 
more  power  the  sum  total  of  human  effort  might 
co-operate  with  God  in  swifter  and  truer  advance. 

The  duty  of  the  hour  is  clear.  Every  letter  of 
truth,  every  page  of  nature,  every  unfolding  of  the 
universe  bears  a  spirit-laden  message  from  God.  Ul- 
timately, all  authority  is  derived  from  Him.  But  it 
resides  where  it  is  inherent,  that  is,  in  the  sphere  where 
it  is  found.  Spiritual  authority  can  no  more  be  del- 
egated than  scientific.  It  is  essentially  inherent.  Men 
can  do  no  more  than  interpret  it,  and  foster  all  the 
faculties  hy  which  in  every  realm  the  Presence  and 
working  of  God  are  perceived. 

Upon  the  supremest  of  all  studies  the  gates  of  our 
subject  now  open.  We  are  to  investigate  the  nature 
of  God  and  of  man,  also,  of  sin  and  the  means  of  its 
cure ;  to  the  end  that  we  may  better  understand  the 
development  of  finite  spirits. 


Mtt 


Ill 


THE  TRANSCENDENCE  AND  IMMANENCE 

OF  GOD 

NO  great  religious  founder  has  attempted  to 
pi  ove  the  existence  of  God — one  and  all  have 
assumed  it.  Deep  within  himself  man  finds 
the  foundations  of  theology,  and  discovers  that  theo- 
retical assays  to  prove  God's  existence  are  transcended 
by  the  practical  recognition  of  His  Presence.  Per- 
manently the  human  race  is  God-conscious.  At  one 
pole  of  being,  the  Savage  intuitively  recognizes  His 
existence;  at  the  other,  philosophy  needs  God  as  its 
fundamental  premise;  while  all  scientific  knowledge 
implies  His  existence,  and  reveals  His  operations. 

Proof  of  God's  existence  is  as  unnecessary  as  proof 
of  one's  own  existence.  One  involves  the  other. 
Where  self -consciousness  is,  there  is  consciousness  of 
God;  individuality  being  but  the  spirit's  sense  of  the 
Great er-than-itself  to  which  it  is  related.  God's  ex- 
istence is  initially  an  intuition — God's  way  of  making 
the  Unseen  consciously  present,  even  to  the  Savage. 
Not  in  looking  out  do  we  best  see  Gc^;  but  by 
looking  in.  Where  starry  skies  or  ocean's  vast  ex- 
panse excite  emotions  of  sublimity,  the  external  view 
but  starts  an  inner  vision.  Outer  impulses  produce 
inner  emotions.  Reflection  upon  his  mysterious  and 
transcendent  experiences  widens  the  thoughtful  man's 

49 


i&ss: 


50      THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

acquaintance  with  God,  and  God's  expanding  universe. 

To  the  untutored  mind  the  supersensuous  is  vaguely, 
massively,  present.  He  does  not  understand,  and  is 
afraid.  His  fear  is  the  parent  of  his  superstition,  but 
indirectly  also  proof  conclusive  of  his  sense  of  the 
Unseen.  His  faith  is  based  upon  unquestioned,  un- 
examined intuition. 

The  faith  of  a  believer,  in  an  age  of  science,  broad- 
based  on  ages  of  exploration,  is  rationally  supported 
by  million-fold  converging  lines  of  revelation  which 
make  appeal  to  man's  multiplex  and  impressionable 
nature. 

Between  these  two  "  settled,"  though  widely  differ- 
ent, "  ages  of  faith  "  lies  a  transition  era  of  unrest. 
So  long  as  thoughtful  beings  have  to  cross  this  per- 
turbed zone  from  intuitive  but  inchoate  sense  of 
God,  to  the  stage  where  reason  supports  the  inner 
intuitions,  and  so  establishes  a  rational  faith,  they 
must  be  vexed  by  doubts  and  haunted  by  infidelity. 
But  thanks  to  universal  and  more  symmetrical  educa- 
tion the  distracting  zone  is  being  narrowed  and  its 
passage  mitigated  both  for  individuals  and  for  nations. 

Man  and  the  universe  are  permeated  by  God. 
Ripening  opinion, ;  !  the  swelling  accretion  of  human 
knowledge,  supporL  he  sentiment  of  the  ages.  A 
developed  humanity  will  be  a  God-inspired  and  be- 
lieving humanity.  So  soon  as  theology  takes  its  place 
as  a  science  p.inong  sciences  the  existence  of  God  and 
the  place  of  religion  will  no  more  come  up  for  doubt 
or  reconsideration,  than  belief  in  gravitation,  or  the 
distinction  between  right  and  wrong. 


THE  TRANSCENDENCE  OF  GOD        51 

But  assuming  the  existence  of  God,  how  do  we 
discover  His  attributes  or  explore  the  nature  of  His 
being?  How,  for  example,  have  we  arrived  at  the 
idea  of  the  absoluteness  *  of  God  as  Infinite,  Omnipo- 
tent, etc.  ? 

To  the  human  mind  nature  presents  objects  of  im- 
pressive greatness — ^the  towering  mountains,  the  sea's 
expanse.  But  it  is  the  nature  of  reason,  which  Kant 
calls  "  the  faculty  of  the  absolute,"  to  flash  by  intuition 
from  any  germinal  thought  to  its  completion.  It 
naturally  makes  inferences.  Give  it  an  arc,  and  it 
sees  a  circle.  Present  it  a  shred  of  truth  and  it  feels 
instinctively  for  some  result  or  consummation.  Of 
this  fact  there  is  no  explanation  save  that  God  dowered 
mind  with  that  capacity,  as  with  all  others,  for  the 
sake  of  man'sdiigh  destiny. 

Knowledge  may  be  partial  but  the  mind  assumes 
that  it  might  be  complete.  It  can  rest  only  in  the 
sense  of  that  possibility.  In  this  fundamental  law 
of  reason  is  seen  the  explanation  of  our  human  con- 
ception of  God  as  Omnipotent.  Power  as  a  fact  is 
apprehended  by  all.  And  from  that  fact  reason  in- 
tuitively and  instantly  conceives  ultimate  power;  all 
power.  Infinity,  perfection,  and  all  other  "abso- 
lute" categories,  arise  in  the  same  way.  They  are 
the  native  product  of  a  mind  dowered  with  inherent 
capacity  to  possess  and  use  them. 

*To  denounce  and  renounce  the  word  "  absolute"  aa  meaning- 
less, because  it  represents  tie  incomprehensible,  is  but  to  practise 
self-delusion.  The  wed  stands  for  an  inevitable,  if  inexpressible 
idea,  which  is  necessary  to  the  very  process  of  thinking.  If  the 
word  God  stands,  then  stands  also  the  word  absolute. 


52      THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

No  better  illustration  could  be  cited  than  that  of 
cause.  In  the  processes  of  nature,  and  of  art,  we 
observe  effects  resulting  from  causes ;  and  nothing  can 
divest  us  of  the  idea  of  a  first  cause.  The  inference 
is  inevitable;  as  inevitable  as  the  conception  of  God. 
It  is  a  phase  of  the  absolute  suggested  by  the  relative. 

Paley's  watch  must  have  had  a  maker.  How  else 
could  it  exist  ?  The  same  inevitable  inference  carries 
regarding  the  universe — with  this  difference.  Paley's 
watch  was  a  finished  product,  existing  separately  from 
its  maker.  It  had  therefore  a  first  cause;  and  an  in- 
dependent existence.  The  universe  is  not  a  finished 
product;  consequently  it  requires  a  Constant  Cause 
or  Creator;  and  has  no  independent  existence.  So 
far  from  being  separate  from  Him,  it  is  the  living 
means  of  His  self-display. 

Hence  arise  four  living  problems  of  modem  theol- 
ogy. The  Transcendence  of  God.  The  Immanence 
of  God.  Will  and  its  Operation.  Law  and  its  Sig- 
nificjmce.  In  a  sense  these  four  problems  constitute 
but  onr;  that  is,  a  problem  in  thinking. 


THE  TRANSCENDENCE  OF  GOD 

To  think  of  God  as  transcendent,  without  recog- 
nizing His  Immanence,  has  been  the  age-long  mistake 
of  Christian  theology.  God  was  thought  of  as  dwell- 
ing in  Heaven ;  man  upon  the  earth ;  Heaven  and  earth 
being  separate  localities.  Divine  government  was  re- 
garded as  Majesterial  in  form ;  edicts  being  issued  and 
awards  app6rtioned  after  the  analogy  of  a  terrestrial 
court.     In  short,  God's  transcendence  was  conceived 


THE  TRANSCENDENCE  OF  GOD        53 

in  a  symbology  which  detached  Him  from  His  uni- 
verse, putting  spacial  distance  between  the  Infinite 
and  the  finite  spirit.  For  multitudes  still  who  think 
of  God  as  near,  He  is  nevertheless  not  conceived  as 
immanent.  The  very  terms  "  near  "  and  "  nearness  " 
in  themselves  imply  externality.  Briefly,  then,  God's 
transcendence  is  interpreted  in  terms  of  space,  or  of 
geographical  relation.  Our  sense  of  His  immanence 
has  not  yet  become  a  controlling  influence  in  our 
thinking. 


THE  IMMANENCE  OF  GOD 

To  conceive  God  as  immanent,  without  recognizing 
His  transcendence,  is  the  error  of  all  Pantheism.  As 
most  practically  oppressive  Pantheism  originated  in 
the  East.  Native,  as  a  form  of  thought,  to  both 
Ancient  and  Modern  philosophy,  it  lives  as  a  rational 
method  of  avoiding  the  dualism  implied  in  conceiving 
God  and  the  universe  as  separated,  or  in  nature  diverse. 

In  Pan-theism  of  every  variety,  God  is  identified 
with  (to  wSlv)  the  totality  of  things.  God  is  the  all. 
And  the  all  is  God.  The  Hindu  Brahm,  a  word  of 
neuter  gender,  denotes  absolute  Being,  which  is  not 
thought  of  as  personal,  nor  worshipped  as  such.  Ly- 
ing originally  in  a  state  of  unconscious  existence,  it 
came,  or  rather  it  comes,  into  existence  and  conscious- 
ness as  it  unfolds  itself  in  finite  forms.  This  move- 
ment is  illustrated  by  mist  or  waves  which  rise  from 
the  sea  only  to  fall  back  into  re-absorption  by  it. 
Human  individuality,  represented  as  a  spark  or  whiff 
of  vapour,  as  a  wavelet  or  a  lump  of  salt,  is  part  of 


1 1 
I 


54     THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRI  FiJAL  LIFE 

the  parent  mass  and  in  time  w.ii  br  re-icicntiiied  with  it. 
Of  Occidental  Pantheism  no  brio*  staten;'^nt  is  pos- 
sible; partly  because  it  assumes  so  great  a  variety  of 
forms;  partly  because  in  its  later  stages  it  attains  an 
expression  where,  transcending  Pantheism  proper,  it 
approximates  a  true  philosophy;  that  is,  rises  to  a 
true  theism,  with  a  real  personality,  a  finite  freedom, 
and  a  genuine  responsibility;  consequently  providing 
for  a  significant  morality,  a  spiritual  religion,  and  the 
possibility  of  progress. 

Any  theory,  however,  which  makes  "  all-that-is " 
God,  disproves  itself.     Sin  is  a  fact.     Hatred,  malice, 
and  cruelty  are  facts.     If  "  all-that-is  "  is  God,  then 
all  that  is  ungodly  as  well  as  all  that  is  holy  is  not 
merely  of  God,  but  is  God.     Pantheism  makes  God 
the  only  Cause.     Man  is  not  free.     His  sense  of  free- 
dom, of  responsibility,  and  of  sin,  are  illusions.     All 
is  of  God  and  moves  according  to  a  fixed  necessity. 
To  God  Himself,  or  rather  to  the  Infinite  Substance, 
or  totality  of  things,  there  can  be  no  freedom  except 
"  the  freedom  of  necessity  "  *;  but  even  that  is  denied 
to  "  created  existences."     Nothing  is  contingent.     All 
is  governed  by  inherent  and   inescapable   necessity. 
Hence,  instead  of  explaining  experience,  Pantheism 
denies,   or  explains  away,  the  facts  of  experience. 
In  place  of  accounting  for  freedom,  responsibility,  sin, 
purpose,  and  progress  it  is  forced  to  represent  such 
conceptions   as   hallucinations.     Where   there    is    no 
freedom  there  can  be  neither  responsibility  nor  sin. 
Obligation   and   conscience   are   subjective   illusions. 
*  Spinoza. 


THE  TRANSCENDENCE  OF  GOD        55 

God  is  the  only  real  csuse,  hence  He  must  be  the 
author  of  sin.  Or  to  put  it  otherwise,  what  we  call 
sin  and  evil,  like  beauty  and  truth,  are  but  manifesta- 
tions of  The  Infinite. 

Again,  we  must  note  that  unless  God  transcends 
His  cretitton  there  can  be  no  progress.  Cause  has 
exhausted  itself.  God  would  no  longer  be  originative. 
Nothing  new  could  take  place.  Not  only  so,  but  no 
adequate  origin  would  be  postulated  for  what  is.  Un- 
less God  be  more  than  all  that  manifests  Him  there 
can  be  no  further  revelation.     Advance  is  impossible. 

Moreover,  unless  both  God  and  men  possessed  a 
genuine  freedom,  or  transcendence  of  the  material 
order,  there  could  be  no  "  personality  "  and  no  immor- 
tality; no  individuality  here  or  hereafter;  no  spiritual 
intercourse,  no  prayer,  no  religion,  and  no  worship — 
the  world  we  know  would  be  unmade.  Human  inter- 
course, with  its  emotions  of  tender  love  and  binding 
obligations,  would  be  but  a  webwork  of  disappointing 
illusion.  All  that  goes  to  make  moral,  social,  and 
spiritual  experience — ^all  reverence,  love,  and  ado- 
ration, would  be  as  delusive  as  futile.  In  short,  in- 
stead of  having  an  experience  explained — a  genuine 
morality  and  a  real  religion — our  "  philosophy  "  would 
be  a  contradiction  to  all  the  aspirations  of  sentient 
spirit  and  the  annihilation  of  all  that  is  uplifting 
humanity. 

Pantheism,  moreover,  is  as  unsatisfactory  practi- 
cally as  theoretically.  Upon  India,  where  rests  most 
oppressively  the  incubus  of  this  misconception,  may 
be  seen  its  logical  results.     Belief  in  fixed  and  in- 


[jr 


56     THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

escapable  necessity  has  so  paralyzed  Hindu  moral 
life,  and  destroyed  the  incentive  to  effort,  as  to  con- 
stiti  .e  a  pall  upon  mind  and  a  bar  to  progress.  If  all 
that  is  must  be,  what  is  the  use  of  protesting  against 
it?  Only  one  matter  in  life  seems  of  moment,  and 
that  one  thing  has  bound  India  in  the  thraldom  of 
Caste. 

Re-absorption  into  The  Absolute — z  condition  of 
Nirvana — constitutes  the  passionate  longin  of  all,  be- 
cause that  alone  affords  release  from  the  i»  'erminable 
woes  of  recurring  incarnations.  Only  by  tain  rites 
and  ceremonies,  prescribed  in  wearisome  and  exact- 
ing minutiae,  can  progress  toward  this  consummation 
be  attained.  The  horror  of  all  horrors  is  to  slip 
back  a  stage  or  many  stages  by  breaking  caste.  "  Re- 
ligion "  has  little  moral  significance  to  the  Hindu ; 
its  worth  to  him  is  chiefly  as  a  means  to  self- 
extinction  (at  the  end  of  repeated  existences)  in  the 
Absolute. 

Europe  has  been  saved  from  practical  results  of 
this  nature  by  a  concurrent  development  of  science 
which  held  thought  nearer  to  reality ;  while  pantheistic 
philosophy  has  made  its  contribution  to  progress  by 
emphasizing  the  ultimate  fact  of  God'r  unity.  Like 
Monotheism  in  theology,  Monism  in  philosophy  must 
be  fundamentally  true,  since  to  admit  dualism  is  to 
make  a  problem  which  can  never  be  solved. 

But  what  is  transcendence? 

A  practical  difficulty  confronts  all  who  have  not 
schooled  themselves  to  recognize  the  characteristics 
of  spirit,  and  to  discriminate  between  the  attributes 


THE  TRANSCENDENCE  OF  GOD        57 

of  spirit,  and  the  qualities  of  matter.  God  is  spirit; 
but  to  spirit  spacial  relations  and  material  qualities 
are  inapplicable.  To  attribute  form  lo  spirit  renders 
our  thinking  untrue.  Already  to  some  extent  have 
we  attained  worthy  conceptions  of  God's  transcend- 
ence, and  of  His  immanence;  but  as  yet  we  hold  them 
in  separation.  We  do  not  see  transcendence  in  im- 
manence; nor  that  the  Infinite  Spirit  transcends  the 
finite  spirit  by  His  immanence.  Our  thought  is  not 
unified.  It  shoots  fro»n  pole  to  pole;  commonly  con- 
ceiving God  as  transcendent ;  often  seeing  His  Power 
(not  Him)  as  immanent;  rarely,  if  ever,  thinking 
thoroughly,  or  recognizing  God  as  at  once  transcend- 
ent and  immanent. 

What  is  immanence  ? 

Immanence,  as  ascribed  to  omnipresent  law,  seems 
normal  to  thought  so  soon  as  science  forces  us  to 
think  truly.  But  our  imperfect  theological  develop- 
ment prevents  us  from  carrying  our  thinking  to  its 
logical  issue.  So  long  have  we  been  accustomed  to 
conceive  God  apart  from  force  and  law  that  He  is 
little  more  than  a  Voice,  more  or  less  unconsciously 
located  in  a  distant  Heaven,  which  issues  decrees. 
Forces  were  indeed  made  by  Him,  and  by  Him  set 
to  work;  but  He  is  not  in  them.  So  far  as  force 
and  law  are  concerned,  God  merely  commands  them. 
He  is  love,  and  His  will  is  all-powerful;  but  we  see 
not  His  power  nor  His  love,  His  law,  nor  His  will, 
where  they  operate.  That  is,  we  do  not  see  God 
where  He  is.  We  think  of  Him  as  external  to  His 
power,  His  forces,  His  laws ;  much  as  we  might  think 


hi  i 


fe  \ 


58     THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

of  man  if  we  imagined  his  soul  located  outside  of 
his  body  and  operating  it  from  a  distance. 

But  if  we  are  not  to  regard  God  as  detached  from 
the  universe,  neither  are  we  to  think  of  Him  as  an 
immanent  Abstraction.  From  the  former  error  com- 
mon thought  is  rapidly  recovering;  the  latter  it  -eems 
yet  scarcely  to  discern.  God  we  say  is  im.nanent 
Spirit,  but  we  do  not  think  of  immanent  Spirit  as 
immanent  Life;  nor  do  we  conceive  life  as  a  mode 
of  energy.  Yet  life  is  energy;  and  Spirit  the  highest 
form  of  life.  The  Supreme  Power  of  the  universe 
must  be  its  supreme  energy.  Furthermore,  life  of  the 
Spiritual  order  is  "personal"  (or  supra-personal), 
and  is  none  the  less  Life,  because  self-conscious  and 
volitional.  In  revealing  Himself  as  Spirit  God  is  un- 
folding Himself  as  life,  energy,  and  will;  as  well  as 
love;  and  is  compelling  us  to  find  Him  where  He  is 
operating.  Some  forces  we  see  as  immanent,  but  the 
Source  of  all  power  we  do  not  recognize  as  immanent. 
We  have  not  learned  to  unify  God's  immanence  and 
transcendence,  nor  to  see  both  as  spiritual. 

From  the  other  side.  Science  has  not  yet  attained 
the  point  where  it  sees  God's  will  and  love,  and  Pres- 
ence where  His  power  operates.  In  recognizing  only 
force,  and  thinking  of  all  force  as  impersonal,  it  re- 
mains largely  pantheistic.  Until  adjustment  of 
thought  is  truly  made,  science  will  tend  to  think  of 
God  in  terms  of  helpless  and  level  immanence — ^put- 
ting God  on  the  plane  of  physical  forces.  In  the 
words  of  Professor  Illingworth,  "  Spirit  which  is 
merely  immanent  in  matter  without  transcending  it, 


THE  TRANSCENDENCE  OF  GOD        59 

cannot  be  spirit  at  all;  it  is  only  another  aspect  of 
matter,  having  neither  self-identity  nor  freedom,"  * 
That  is,  contradictory  conceptions  are  held;  the  mind 
separating,  instead  of  blending  the  principles  involved. 

When  we  say  spirit  transcends  matter,  rir  thought 
is  accurate  and  meaningful.  Apply  the  conception  to 
God,  and  we  have  a  true  intensive  and  inherent 
transcendence. 

Spirit  and  matter  are  known  only  in  combi- 
nation, but  while  spirit  thinks,  wills,  and  governs, 
matter  subserves  spirit.  One  is  master,  the  other 
servant.  Man's  spirit,  for  example,  more  than  con- 
trols his  body,  it  moulds  his  features,  and  gives  quality 
and  character  to  both  voice  and  bearing.  It's  the  soul 
that  makes  the  hero. 

"  The  mind's  the  measure  of  the  man." 

But  spirit  operates  through  matter,  making  the  phys- 
ical organism  agent,  and  the  forces  of  nature  machin- 
ery whereby  it  puts  thought  and  volition  into  execu- 
tion. Unity,  ever  forcinrj  itself  upon  reflection,  is 
discovered  as  a  concrete  fact  in  personal  experience. 
Matter,  force,  and  mind  are  so  unified  that  not  only 
is  cognition  possible,  but  control  is  actual.  Man's 
spirit  has  precisely  the  setting  'i  herein  normally  and 
spontaneously  it  exercises  control.  Its  sway  resembles 
God's  in  being  inherent,  volitional,  spiritual. 

Science  ''/r-^sents  to  philosophy  and  theology  a  clue 
to  the  struc.ure  of  the  universe,  and  the  nature  of 
inmost  reality.     Starting  at  the  material  pole,  it  has 

•"Diviue  Immanence,"  p.  39. 


6o      THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

found  it-^  way  from  nethermost  matter  to  dominant 
spirit,  revealing  throughout  the  entire  serii,  real  rela- 
tions among  real  forces,  all  sensitively  subject  to 
volition.  Will,  which  of  course  is  alwa}  ■  assov.ated 
with  other  qualities  of  personality  (and  but  represents 
sp!r>  in  av.:ton),  is  ultimate.  But  lo!  uhii  late  Will  is 
discoxt '-i'('  in;  not  outside  of;  the  univer^  which  it 
sways 

But  it  may  be  asked,  "If  God  U-  conceive!  a' 
Imi  'aneni.  arc  we  not  in  damper  o""  'osing  all  Per- 
sona' 'y  ?  a  type  )f  Pantheism?  Not  if  life  oi 
the  Spiritual  order  is  capable  of  beii.  _  indi\  dualized, 
and  if  finite  sp  its  ( an  exercise  volition,  the  normal 
function  of  spirit,  much  as  the  Parent  Spirit  does. 
For  then  spirits  vohtionally  free  wouM  hold,  as  they 
do,  personal  rei.  ions  vsith  ot'ier  spirits,  involving 
personal  obligation,  and  cot  ^titufing  a  world  of 
spiritual  values.  Personality  is  the  kev  to  (  )d;  ai  J 
the  highest  category  of  thouj.  t  ;  but  of  course  per- 
sonality, as  we  km  V  it  in  human  experience,  must 
be  transcended  by  Go  '.  Volition,  too,  must  hold  i 
place  not  as  yet  recognized  ir  cither  science  or  th^^oi- 
ogy.  To  the  will  must  be  accorded  first  piace  n 
morality  and  reli^  m;  therefore  with  caff  must  e 
explore  its  nature  an     iis  limitatior  s. 


WILL   AN1»    IT-    0PERATlO>f 


Spiritual    qualities — thot  ::ht,    feeling.        il,    lo. 
goodness — are  never  thot    nt  of  as  extei    li  to  cm 
another.     They  exist   in   spiritual    unity        i   saying 
that  Will  is  Supreme  in  the  universe,  uier      re.  we 


IHE  TRAN^./END-NCE    3F  GOD       6i 

ifiiply  tb.'it  l)ve  ;  "i  goodness  are  also,  for  n  God 
wt  ee  the  qualities  of  God.  Suprf^me  will,  express- 
ing supretne  love,  makes  supretTK  law.  And  "  the 
law    is  aii  I   just   and   good.'      In   P-owning's 

,  hrast 

'  All's  love,     et  all's  law." 


-fi 


that  Infinite  will  wields  con- 
and  material  force? — through 
jUt  wholly  by  virt    '  of  law. 
d  be  r  )  universe,        God,  no 
to  ^      this  if  we  .   c  to  per- 
icnci         God,  or  I  lis  method 
C       [lio.jlem  in        es  a  consideration  of 
will,  a        1  ki      and  their  reLiion  to  univ  ersal  forces. 


Bu     •    nu  i 

bsf 

tr*         er 

te     vili 

diher<    t  la 

ii  Jeef 

With(   It  la 

re 

control,     't 

se 

eive  e'hti 

I   COi 


I 


FREEDOM  OF  THE  WILL 

Ii   affirming  that 

Our  wills  are  ours,  we  know  no^ 
OiT-  wills  are  ours,  to  make  them 

nyson  Drings  finite  wills  into  true  rel.  nip  to 

I  .  Infinit  ■  will.  Identical  in  nature,  there  is  yet  this 
'  ffereuce;  God's  will  may  be  said  to  be  absolute 
.ecause  wholly  determined  by  Himself.  That  is.  He 
determined  the  sphere  of  its  operation ;  the  nature  and 
la  vs  of  the  universe i  r'.so,  the  conduct  that  every 
spirit  in  it  ought  to  adopt,  and  ultimately  must  adoi  t, 

e  perfect.  Man's  will,  we  say,  is  limited,  because 
';c  sphere  wherein  his  will  must  exercise  itself  is  pre- 


A 


62      THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

determined  for  him,  and  he  himself  unable,  beyond 
certain  confines,  to  give  effect  to  his  will. 

At  this  point  arises  a  distinction  of  the  utmost  mo- 
ment. Radical  is  the  difference  between  freedom  in 
willing,  and  the  power  to  enforce  one's  will.  What  a 
man  can  or  cannot  effect,  'las  nothing  to  do  with 
the  freedom  of  his  will,  but  only  with  the  measure  of 
his  might.  The  one  is  a  wholly  spiritual  or  inner 
effort.  The  other  presents  muscular,  or  perchance  in- 
tellectual, financial,  and  political  problems.  When 
two  men  race  or  wrestle,  it  is  not  will  against  will 
alone,  but  muscle  against  muscle  as  well.  In  debat- 
ing ;  the  issue  depends  not  merely  on  willing  to  win ; 
but  also  upon  intelligence,  learning,  skill,  etc.  When 
conflict  throws  man  against  man,  or  man  against 
God,  it  is  not  dimply  "  will  against  will,"  but  zvill 
with  its  resources  against  another  will  and  its  re- 
sources. 

So  far  as  willing  is  concerned,  the  finite  will  is  as 
free  as  the  Infinite.  In  essential  quality  they  are  iden- 
tical. Hence  it  might  be  said  that  had  man  power 
greater  than  God's  he  would  make  himself  supreme 
in  the  universe.  When  he  resists  God;  as  he  can; 
man  is  as  free  as  God  in  willing,  but  wholly  unequal 
in  power.  He  cannot  effect  his  will  as  God  does ;  nor 
as  other  men  more  powerful  than  he  can  do;  but  he 
can  will  as  freely  as  they;  as  freely  indeed  as  if  he 
were  all-powerful.  Nothing  must  obscure  this  essen- 
tial truth.  Man's  freedom  in  choice,  or  in  taking  a 
personal  stand  regarding  any  matter,  that  is,  in  will- 
ing, so  far  as  will  is  an  inner  experience,  is  complete. 


THE  TRANSCENDENCE  OF  GOD        63 

He  can  will  anything,  good  or  bad,  that  comes  into 
his  freakish,  perverted,  or  sober  mind.  So  far  as 
taking  an  attitude  toward  God  or  man  is  concerned 
his  will  is  perfectly  free.  Volition  in  God,  and  in 
man,  must  be  i  jntical  in  nature,  because  God  imparts 
to  the  fir.iie  spirit  His  own  life,  for  the  manifest  pur- 
pose of  developing  a  being  God-like  in  quality. 

WILL  IS  CAUSAL 

Not  only  is  will  free  (in  both  God  and  man),  but 
it  is  also  causal.  Cause  we  have  seen  is  essential  to 
the  notion  of  God  as  the  Absolute.  Cause  in  man 
is  a  fact  of  experience.  He  is  as  conscious  of  his 
causal  power  as  of  his  volitional  freedom.  He  actu- 
ally originates  all  kinds  of  action,  good  and  bad,  and 
does  it  according  to  his  own  will.  In  short,  he  is  free 
and  therefore  rcponsible;  responsible  and  therefore 
moral;  and  both  because  he  is  spiritual.  These  are 
facts  not  to  be  denied,  but  to  be  explained.  What 
the  Pantheist  does  not  see  is  that  man  is  as  free  in 
willing  as  the  God  who  dowers  him  with  a  share  of 
His  own  autonomous  life.  Fundamentally  and  in  es- 
sence his  life  is  part  of  God's  being.  It  is  lent  out 
by  God ;  not  of  course  to  operate  in  vacuo,  but  under 
prearranged  conditions.  By  creation  and  environment 
God  fixes  its  direction  and  limits  its  power.  That  was 
necessary  in  order  to  God's  control  of  man,  or  men's 
control  of  one  another.  But  Divine  control  is  not 
mechanical.  It  is  personal,  moral,  rational.  God  re- 
spects the  nature  of  the  finite  spirit  and  sways  it  by 
a  government  in  which  there  is  room  for  the  plajj 


64     THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

of  intelligence,  and  feeling,  and  will;  that  is,  of  free- 
dom. 

But  how  is  will  applied  or  effected?  How  does  it 
operate  ?  The  nexus  between  cause  and  effect  no  one 
can  trace,  nor  is  that  necessary.  All  that  is  necessary 
is  to  perceive  and  acknowledge  the  fact.  How  human 
will  controls  human  muscles  we  know  not — but  it  does. 
How  God's  will  controls  universal  forces  we  know 
not — but  it  does.  The  control  of  matter  by  mmd  ac- 
cording to  volition  is  a  miracle  which  we  both  work 
and  witness  when  eye  or  hand  or  thought  or  choice 
is  controlled  by  will  towards  a  definite  end.  We  can- 
not explain  the  fact,  but  we  must  recognize  it.  Clearly 
control  is  exercised  by  both  God  and  man,  and  by 
both  is  exercised  according  to  will.  But  will,  to  be 
effective,  must  be  exercised  according  to  law ;  always 
ac  ^/rding  to  law.  Never  in  any  other  way.  The 
key  to  success  rests  in  following  law. 

For  the  solution  of  our  present  problem  this  is  the 
significant  truth.  Will  and  cause  we  see  are  facts; 
not  for  God  alone  but  for  man  also.  What  we  re- 
quire to  understand  is  how  control  is  exercised  by 
God  over  a  universe  which  includes  free  beings. 


LAW   AND  ITS   SIGNIFICANCE 

Science  attests  the  omnipresence  of  law;  in  matter 
and  force ;  in  thought  and  morals ;  in  every  sphere  of 
activity  among  mortals,  and  every  relationship  be- 
tween man  and  the  universe,  as  well  as  between  man 
and  God.    Law  is  all-present. 

But  what  is  law?    Is  it  an  entiiy?    Can  it  exist 


THE  TRANSCENDENCE  OF  GOD        65 

alone  or  must  it  be  regarded  as  a  revelation  ui  the 
nature  of  the  object,  or  force,  or  person  wherein  it 
is  discovered?  Law  is  not  an  entity;  it  has  no  exist- 
ence of  or  by  itself.  Everywhere  it  reveals  the  nature 
of  entities  and  the  relationships  between  them.  In  the 
inorganic  world,  cohesion,  gravitation,  magnetism, 
crystallization,  etc.,  express  uniformities  in  nature  as 
accurate  and  undeviating  as  the  laws  of  chemistry  and 
of  mathematics.  When  vitality  arrived  there  ap- 
peared new  laws  and  relations  corresponding  to  and 
representing  the  new  force.  The  same  is  true  in  ris'.g 
and  widening  ranges  of  the  mental,  moral,  and  spiritual 
spheres. 

The  emergence  of  intelligence  and  volition,  of  faith 
and  feeling,  constitute  a  realm  where  unifoimities  dis- 
appear. Personal  freedom  gives  rise  to  responsibility 
and  the  world  of  morals,  while  religion  reveals  the 
sense  of  man's  relationship  to  God.  What  must  be 
observed,  is  that  from  the  lowest  atom  in  the  material 
world  to  the  governing  spirit  of  the  cosmos  there  is 
an  unbroken  continuity  of  being  unifying  and  bring- 
ing all  into  control.  This  truth  is  capable  of  illustra- 
tion, if  not  of  demonstration.  Man  is  a  microcosmos, 
embodying  in  his  complex  personality  the  truth  of  the 
macrocosmos.  Within  himselt  he  exemplifies  the  en- 
tire range  of  being  so  far  as  we  know  it— matter, 
force,  vitality,  intellectuality,  morality,  and  spirituality. 

Universal  forces  rank  in  ascending  order  as  mate- 
rial, vital,  mental,  moral,  spiritual— the  lower  subject 
normally  to  the  higher,  throughout  the  hierarchy.  Not 
only  are  spiritual  forces  highest  but  they  are  all-con- 


Bi 


66     THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

trolling.  Lower  forces  operate  in  a  delimited  zone. 
The  spiritual  exercise  absolutely  all-pervasive  sway. 
Physical  forces  operate  only  in  the  material  realm; 
not  in  the  mental  nor  the  spiritual.  But  if  we  view 
the  case  from  the  upper  side  we  shall  see  that  the 
higher  rontr<jl  the  lower  by  a  permanent  and  transcend- 
ent superiority.  Vitality  breaks  down  chemical  affin- 
ities to  feed  on  matter.  Intelligence  waves  the  wand 
of  its  God-like  sway  over  all  nature's  forces.  But 
intelligence  which  governs  natural  forces  is  itself  sub- 
ject to  moral;  and  moral,  to  spiritual  control.  In 
short,  physical  forces  yield  to  mental,  mental  to  moral, 
and  moral  but  show  the  trend  of  spiritual  forces. 

On  his  lower  side  man  is  one  in  nature  with  the 
material  world.  On  his  higher  side  he  is  one  in  na- 
ture with  the  Infinite  Spirit.  In  self-conscious  ex- 
perience he  is  a  concrete  example  of  freedom,  volition, 
cause,  and  control.  His  being  exhibits  the  place  and 
significance  of  law,  as  well  as  the  normal  sway  of 
will  over  universal  forces.  If  finite  will  can  control 
human  muscles  and  material  forces,  how  much  more 
the  Supreme  will!  But  both  alike  operate  through 
laws,  which  but  represent  the  nature  of  the  universe. 
Hence  the  universe  is  will-wielded  or  spontaneously 
controlled.  What  is  true  of  man's  successful  opera- 
tions is  true  also  of  God's.  His  will  is  worked  through 
law.  Always  through  law.  To  violate  law  would  be 
as  much  defeat  for  God  as  for  man,  and  would  result 
in  similar  disarrangement  and  disaster.  Law  is  an 
ultimate  essential  of  Being.  Any  one  can  see  that 
without  law  there  could  be  no  life,  no  morality,  no 


THE  TRANSCENDENCE  OF  GOD       67 

order,  no  universe,  no  God,  no  control.     All  would 
be  chaos,  death,  destruction. 

We  can  now  see  why  without  law,  will  could  neither 
originate  nor  control  forces.  While  through  law  it 
can  do  both.  When  we  come  to  understand  it,  there- 
fore, we  shall  see  that  law,  like  cause,  is  an  essential 
attribute  of  God.  In  other  words,  when  seized  of 
Its  significance  we  shall  recognize  that  the  idea  of 
law  has  already  become  necessary  to  humanity's  very 
conception  of  God. 

Further,  like  will,  law  is  ultimately  personal— an 
inherent  quality  of  God.  Neither  law  nor  love  can 
exist  by  itself.  Both  exist  in  and  represent  the  nature 
of  that  in  which  they  inhere.  Consequently  in  the 
same  sense  in  which  we  say  "  God  is  love,"  we  may 
say  God  is  law.  For  one  is  essential  to  the  other, 
and  both  reveal  the  nature  of  God.  Without  law 
there  could  be  neither  justice  nor  truth;  for  justice 
means  law  and  fairness;  while  truth  mear-  law  and 
undeviating  constancy.  Without  both  justice  and 
truth  God  could  not  be  love.  Love  therefore  is  pos- 
sible only  because  of  law. 

Furthermore  we  must  not  think  it  necessary  for 
God  to  "  violate  "  His  laws  in  order  to  control  the 
universe.  That  would  be  a  crude  idea  of  God.  He 
must  observe  law  to  be  just,  and  it  is  equally  essential 
for  Him  to  be  just,  if  He  would  be  Love.  None  of 
the  elements  can  be  wanting  or  He  would  not  be  God. 
It  is  not  so  written  in  Scripture,  but  science  can 
write  with  Divine  authority  that  God  is  Truth,  which 
is  in  reality  but  another  way  of  saying  God  is  law. 


68     THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

It  may  be  helpful,  too,  if  we  say  God  is  will;  God  is 
Life;  and  God  is  Energy.  In  order  to  be  Spirit  He 
must  be  all  three.  For  Spirit  is  at  once  Life  and  Will ; 
that  is.  Self -directive  energy  or  Power.  Until  these 
conceptions  are  fully  seized  no  adequate  idea  is  at- 
tained of  the  Governing  Spirit  of  the  universe. 

The  revelation  of  God's  righteousness,  we  owe  to 
the  Hebrews;  the  revelation  of  Ilis  love,  to  Chris- 
tianity; the  revelation  of  His  all-pervasive  law,  to 
Science.  His  righteousness  we  appreciate;  His  love 
we  appreciate;  His  law  we  do  not  appreciate;  because 
its  significance  we  do  not  apprehend.  What  to  our 
age  is  becoming  intellectually  clear,  has  not  yet  be- 
come a  feeling;  is  not  yet  an  element  in  our  worship 
and  adoration  of  God.  How  many  think  of  law  as 
an  essential  element  or  attribute  of  God,  or  love  it 
as  a  quality  of  His  nature?  Love  is  personal  and 
justice  is  personal,  but  who  thinks  of  law  as  in  any 
sense  personal?  Yet  law  represents  God's  Tvill  and 
love;  that  is,  expresses  His  inmost  nature.  The  law 
of  the  universe  lives  in  the  IVill  of  the  universe,  and 
is  as  personal  as  the  Love  with  which  it  is  identical; 
and  to  which  it  gives  effect.  Law  is  ordinarily 
thought  of  in  terms  of  its  material  or  lowest  order; 
rarely  in  terms  of  its  higher  and  more  significant 
orders.  Consciously  or  unconsciously  we  regard  law 
as  cold  and  neutral — as  quite  non-moral.  Yet  is  it? 
Who  is  the  Source  of  Law?  God.  What  is  its  na- 
ture? The  law  is  "  holy  "  and  "  just  "  and  "  good." 
Ultimately  law  is  "spiritual"  (Rom.  8: 14)  and  the 
expression  of  God's  heart.    Law  shares  the  nattu'e 


THE  TRANSCENDENCE  OF  GOD       69 

and  expresses  the  purpose  of  the  Eternal.  All  law 
has  a  moral  bearing;  a  spiritual  significance;  and  a 
redemptive  power.  If  the  heavens  declare  the  glory 
of  God,  so  most  surely  do  the  laws  which  make  life 
and  religion  and  the  very  universe  possibk 

I-aw,  then,  is  not  God's  curse;  but  Hi  ?sing. 
Its  lesults  express,  not  His  anger,  but  His  lovv .  The 
penalties  that  follow  violation  of  law  are  not  to  be 
regarded  as  representing  God's  wrath,  nor  are  they 
to  be  conceived  as  inflicted  for  that  purpose.  Law 
being  necessary  to  life,  its  penalties  may  surely  be 
accepted  as  predetermined  by  Infinite  Love  to  be  de- 
terrent, corrective,  and  beneficent.  In  expressing 
God's  zvill,  law  also  expresses  His  love. 

If  we  look  for  it  we  shall  see  God's  heart  in  the 
universe  as  surely  as  we  hear  it  in  His  Voice.  God 
has  not  one  nature  and  His  universe  another.  The 
cosmos  is  what  it  is  because  He  is  what  He  is.  With 
our  sense  of  His  transcendence  we  must  combine  a 
consciousness  of  His  immanence,  and  see  God  in  all 
that  reveals  His  presence. 


ij  >  ■ 


IV 


THE  PERSONALITY  OF  GOD 

IN  the  light  of  the  preceding,  it  would  seem  per- 
fectly natural  to  ascribe  personality  to  God.  That 
this  is  done  at  first  unconsciously  is  in  itself  signifi- 
cant. God,  we  say,  is  spirit ;  so,  also,  is  man ;  conse- 
quently God's  essential  nature  must  be  revealed  through 
man's  essential  being.  He  is  known  from  within,  so 
to  speak,  because  we  share  His  life  and  are  self-con- 
scious. U  it  be  objected  that  such  a  method  of  cog- 
nition would  generate  anthropomorphic  conceptions, 
the  statement  is  partly  true,  but  is  a  reversal  of  the 
actual  sequence;  since  God  first  created  man  theo- 
morphic — in  the  image  of  God — expressly  that  his 
knowledge  might  be  true.  Our  nature  was  God- 
determined  that  Divine  influences  might  be  understood. 
Because  man  is  theomorphic,  his  conceptions  are  in- 
herently and  inevitably  veracious;  and  when  purged 
of  crudities,  and  adjusted  to  harmonize  with  wider 
knowledge  are  justly  anthropomorphic.  Self -con- 
sciousness is  more  than  self -consciousness  because  the 
self  and  its  Source  are  one  in  nature. 

We  say  one  "  in  nature,"  for  vast  is  the  diflFerence 
between  a  finite  spirit  and  the  Infinite.  Man  is  em- 
barrassed  by   innumerable   limitations.     Ii-    the   first 

pia.e  his  physical  organism  tethers  him  to  the  planet, 

70 


THE  PERSONALITY  OF  GOD  71 

localizes  him,  and  fixes  boundaries  to  his  power.  Like 
any  other  over-statement  this  affirmation  suggests  the 
corrective  truth  that  by  thought  and  imagination,  by 
faith  and  feehng,  he  transcends  the  temporal  order. 
Still  mind  itself  suffers  baffling  limitations— limitations 
which,  however,  are  continually  receding  under  the 
process  of  the  suns.  But  if  man  has  physical  and 
mental  limitations  which  tantalize  him,  he  discovers 
that  he  has  yet  other  and  greater,  though  let  us  be 
grateful  to  say,  vanishing  limitations.  Morally  and 
spiritually  he  is  less  efficient  than  either  bodily  or 
intellectually.  When  he  would  do  good,  evil  is  pres- 
ent with  him.  His  ideals  are  indefinitely  beyond  him 
and  ever  receding.  From  the  Pisgah  heights  of  his 
better  being  he  conceives  what  he  ought  to  be,  but  he 
cannot  attain  thereunto. 

His  failure,  we  know,  is  not  wholly  defeat;  for 
"  it  doth  not  yet  appear  what  we  shall  be,"  God  and 
the  future  are  calling  him  on.  To  be  sure  that  Eter- 
nity awaits  him,  and  that  God  is  but  partially  known, 
is  to  feel  inspiring  hope.  With  Browning  we  may 
rejoice  that 

"Imperfection  means  perfection  hid. 
Reserved  in  part,  to  grace  the  after-time." 

To  be  conscious  of  knowing  but  in  part  is  to  ac- 
knowledge that  God  is  more  and  higher — by  how  much 
we  know  not — than  we  at  present  conceive.  All  ex- 
perience points  past  "  man's  nothing-perfect  to  God's 
all-complete."    From  our  present  standpoint,  there- 


72      THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

fore,  we  must  say  that  God  is  supra-personal.  Such 
an  expression,  however,  can  be  ventuicd  only  with  the 
utmost  modesty,  since  we  are  but  partially  acrjuaintcd 
with  personality,  (.nuld  it  bo  known  fully  we  might 
discern,  as  Lotzc  holds,  that  God  is  the  only  perfect 
personality  in  the  universe.  Nevertheless,  from  the 
viewpoint  uf  finite  individuality,  we  must  recognize 
that  the  Eternal  transcends  present-known  personality. 
God  and  man  are  both  spirits,  self-conscious  and  self- 
directive,  that  is,  personal ;  yet  Omnipresence  and  Om- 
nipotence transcend  human  limitations. 

On  the  other  hand,  one  of  the  imperfections  of  the- 
ological speech  is  doubtless  due  to  an  over-emphasis 
placed  on  these  very  limitations;  inasmuch  as  current 
thought  makes  man's  "  personal  "  and  adjustable  re- 
lations to  God  more  prominent  than  his  spiritual  unity 
or  basal  relation.  Too  commonly  we  see  our  finite 
isolation  as  individual  separateness  more  distinctly  than 
we  perceive  our  spiritual  oneness.  In  that  sense  per- 
sonality stands  for  limitation  or  rather  delimitation 
and  boundaries,  whereas,  being  a  spirit,  man's  life 
possesses  a  universality  resembling  God's  unlimited 
being,  by  virtue  of  which  he  overflows  his  own  exist- 
ence and  enters  into  that  of  others. 

Were  it  not  for  this  inter-flow  of  spiritual  power 
man  would  not  be  religious,  for  it  is  not  intelligence, 
but  a  deeper-seated  intercourse  arising  from  his  spirit- 
ual nature,  that  makes  him  religious.  He  is  neither 
omnipresent  nor  omnipotent,  yet  we  see  in  the  lessen- 
ing difference  between  him  and  God,  the  direction  in 
which  his  powers  are  developing.    The  trend  of  his 


"HE  PERSONALITY  OF  GOD  73 

being  is  towards  fuller  spirituality.  And,  be  it  cb- 
served,  that  his  approach  toward  God-lilreness  is  a  v':- 
velopment  of  personality— a  progress  towards  what  as 
yet  we  can  only  denominate  the  supra-personal. 
Grateful  should  we  be  to  think  of  the  Eternal  Spirit 
as  transcending  finite  personality.  Personal,  indeed, 
yet  supra-personal,  because  Absolute  and  Imiiia- 
nent. 

But  thought  carries  still  further,  to 

THE  GOODNESS  o  •'  GOD 

By  the  laws  of  thought  which  compel  us  to  look  for 
perfection  in  that  which  is  highest,  the  recognition  of 
God's  goodness  becomes  inevitable.  Love  is  a  fact 
central  in  experience,  the  supreme  fact  of  the  universe. 
Human  affection,  imperfect  at  best,  suggests  never- 
theless love  unlimited  and  eternal.  In  the  Supreme 
life  lives  the  supreme  quality  of  life.  As  part  of  the 
absoluteness  of  Deity,  it  constitutes  inevitably  an  ele- 
ment in  our  conception  of  the  Highest.  If  God  is, 
then  His  goodness  follows. 

To  early  and  untutored  minds  this  truth  had  not 
arisen.  To  developed  and  maturer  thinking  it  be- 
comes irresistible.  Ry  no  kind  of  effort  is  it  possible 
to  mvest  the  Supreme  Being  with  malignant  qualities. 
To  do  so  w(  lid  be  His  practical  annihilation.  For 
our  notion  of  God  carries  with  it  the  idea  that  He  is 
at  once  the  Source  of  goodness,  and  the  object  of 
adoration. 

It  is  this  intuitive  and  inevitable  assumption  of  the 
Eternal  Goodness  which  causes  the  presence  of  pain 


74      THK  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

to  arise  at  all  as  a  problem.  Of  course  if  God  were 
not  conceived  as  Good,  evil  and  injustice  might  be 
regarded  as  the  uial  order.  But  our  being  resents 
that  notion,  iheiic  things  we  feel  ought  not  to  be. 
In  men  they  are  hateful ;  in  God  they  would  cause  the 
extinction  of  worship. 

Nevertheless,  pain  is  with  us,  pain  too,  where  sin 
never  reigned.  Befure  the  dawn  of  man,  beast  preyed 
on  beast  in  nature's  bloody  wilds.  To-day,  in  Chris- 
tian civilization,  man  5-lays  and  eats.  He  inflicts  the 
pain  that  puzzles  him:  and  puzzled,  still  inflicts  it. 
The  harmless  and  the  innocent  suflFer  with  the  guilty, 
and  for  the  guilty.  Sickness  of  body,  anguish  of 
mind,  and  injustice  more  grievous  than  death,  con- 
stitute no  little  portion  of  humanity's  lot. 

Yet,  singularly  nevertheless,  from  serpent's  fang  to 
mar+yr'r  faggot,  earth's  awful  aggregate  of  pain  has 
n  !.  lAcn  sufficient  to  inhibit  the  conception  of  God's 
Icvs.  i\')i withstanding  the  enormities  of  the  ages 
assurance  of  Divine  goodness  has  grown  until  it  h  s 
rooted  itself  as  a  fundamental  assumption  in  all  our 
thinking.  Poetry  and  art,  like  Scripture  and  all  noble 
personalities,  are  fragrant  with  this  abounding  and 
beautiful  faith. 

But,  it  may  be  inquired,  can  anything  be  said  to 
soften  the  problem  of  pain?  Yes.  Much;  in  many 
ways.  In  the  first  place,  life  for  the  joyous  eternity 
of  a  single  hour,  as  for  example,  with  the  glancing 
ephemera  of  our  summer  eveninjjs,  is  more  than  com- 
pensation for  any  incidental  pain  of  dying. 

Death  itself,  moreover,  is  often  painless,  even  for 


THE  PERSONALITY  OF  GO^  75 

human    beings.     Indeed,    is    often    accon    anied    by 
visions  of  transcending  glory. 

Again,  animal  suflFering  should  never  be  nterpreted 
m  terms  of  human  susceptibility.  No  beetle  in  the 
pathway  trod  "  suffers  a  pain  as  great  as  when  a  giant 
dies."  It  lacks  the  physical  equipment  for  such  pain. 
Not  only  so.  but  man  along  with  the  refined  sensitive- 
ness (.  his  higher  organism  possesses  also  the  gift  of 
imagination— a  power  of  visualizing,  multiplying,  and 
intensifying  his  experiences. 

We  see,  furtiiermore,  that  lower  life,  in  nature's 
economy  prepared  the  way  Ur  higher  life,  as  lower 
civilization   prepared    for    higher  civilizations.     Not 
vain  is  that  which  bears  an  unknown  fruitage  of  in- 
creasing good.     IFe,  conscious  as  we  are  of  cur  twen- 
tieth century  greatness,   are  but  preparing   for  the 
better  order  before  us :  yet  are  we  not  glad  to  enjoy 
life,  though  it  be  something  less  than  future  genera- 
tions may  exp        og?     Even  animals  might  feel  that 
existence  had   •        i-  -  1  interest  could  they  b-'t  know 
tnat  their  life-  ,.    f  .  •     s  own  inherent  pleasure-con- 
tributed somethii  /  ;..  the  universal  goor!      The  fish 
ni  our  waters  and  the  flocks  in  our  1/.  ,'s  ti-  worth 
more  than  they  know.     Nothing  lives  in  vam.     Pain 
IS  a  cost,  but  equals  neither  the  jov  nor  the  worth  of 
living. 

Another  element  ar  i ;  its  weight  to  our  argument. 
An  organization  capable  of  feeling  is  necessary  to  the 
possibility  of  pleasure,  as  it  is  essential  to  the  protec- 
tion of  life;  and  protection  i  the  fundamental  purpose 
of  pain. 


76     THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

Again,  "  Man's  inhumstnity  to  man,"  already  some- 
what mitigated,  is  destined  to  be  done  away.  That 
is  the  "  Gospel  of  gospels,"  the  unmistakable  certainty 
that  behind  inexplicable  pain  stands  the  ought  of  God's 
irresistible  love. 

Finally,  voluntary  and  involuntary  .'uflFering  of  the 
good,  with  the  bad  and  for  the  bad, — Spain's  supreme 
mystery— touches  the  very  heart  of  Eternal  Life— the 
atonement;  which  we  have  yet  to  consider.  As  an 
historical  fact,  our  knowledge  of  God  as  "  love  "  and 
as  universal  "  Father,"  who  "  so  loved  the  world  that 
He  gave  His  only  begotten  Son  that  whosoever  be- 
lieveth  in  Him  should  not  perish,"  is  the  gift  of  Jesus. 
That  truth  is  transforming^  the  race;  in  its  mystery  we 
live  and  prosper;  in  its  prophecy  i.  finds  undying 
inspiration  and  assured  completioi. 

Of  other  attributes  of  God  it  is  unnecessary  to  treat. 
Man  finds  himself  in  a  universe  wherein  he  is  a  self- 
conscious,  self-determining  being,  dowerea  with  intui- 
tion and  conscience;  capable  of  lov.,  fidelity,  and  orig- 
inating thought ;  dwelling  in  a  world  where  the  good- 
ness of  others  makes  life  worth  living;  and  he  assumes 
that  the  Source  of  his  being  is  adequate  to  account 
for  the  universe — himself  ''eluded.  That  is  what  God 
is — the  Absolute  to  which  he  is  relative;  the  Perfec- 
tion in  regard  to  which  he  is  imperfect.  The  itinua- 
mental  categories  of  our  thought  represent  at  once  the 
subjective  conceptions  and  objective  realities  of  a 
Theomorphic  being.  There  is  the  key  to  the  cosmos 
and  the  fount  of  our  worship.  "  We  love  Him  be- 
cause He  first  loved  us.''    Our  modes  of  knowing 


THE  PERSONALITY  OF  GOD  jy 

God  are  wider  far.  and  simpler  than  we  know.  For 
throughout  the  entire  range  of  man's  nature  he  is 
responsive  to  the  Omnipresent  Being  whose  life  he 
shares. 

If  therefore  God  bestows  His  life  on  man  expressly 
hat  men  may  know  Him  and  enjoy  His  intercourse, 
the  marvel  is  not  that  He  has  succeeded.    That  He 
could  fail  is  unthinkable. 


1^^ 


THE  TRIUNITY  OF  GOD 

A  NOTHER   problem   confronts    us.   namely  the 
/"A    mode  or  modes  of  God's  existence. 

The  doctrine  of  the  Trinity,  as  we  shall  see, 
comes  to  us  as  an  outgrowth  of  God's  actual  self-reve- 
lalion,  and  expresses  the  story  of  His  unfolding  in  his- 
tory. Without  the  Incarnation,  and  the  Gift  of  the 
Spirit,  there  would  have  been  no  such  dogma.  With- 
out some  such  revelations  as  these,  the  triunity  of  God 
would  have  remained  undisclosed.  The  facts  which 
produced  the  doctrine  have  revealed  for  us  the  truths 
we  possess  regarding  God's  nature. 

Yet  the  doctrine  remains  for  many  minds  little  more 
than  a  "  mystery  " ;  by  many  is  supposed  to  be  in- 
capable of  intelligible  resolution;  and  to  not  a  few 
appears  an  incongruous  impossibility.  Moreover,  it 
has  encountered  the  age-long  antagonism  of  millions 
who  conceive  it  derogatory  to  God  and  a  violation  of 
truth. 

Regarding  no  other  doctrine  is  misconception  so 
common.  The  fear  of  its  thorough  examination  has 
left  it  for  multitudes  merely  an  article  of  creed  to 
be  accepted  purely  by  faith.  Nevertheless  the  supreme 
truth  underlying  it  is  necessary  to  an  adequate  knowl- 
edge of  God;  and  to  an  intelligible  explanation  of  the 

78 


THE  TRIUNITY  OF  GOD  79 

Atonement  These  two  doctrines  are  mutually  sup- 
portmg;  and  so  far  from  being  meaningless,  they  have 
given  to  mankind  our  highest  conception  of  the  Eter- 
nal, and  our  only  adequate  solution  of  life's  funda- 
mental meaning, 

CONTRAST   WITH    OTHER   CONCEPTIONS 

The  dogma  of  the  Trinity  stands  in  contrast  to  all 
Un,tanan  conceptions.  Hebrews  and  Mohammedans 
are  Unitarians.     On  the  same  principle,  but  with  some- 

tlchint     r  '1'"^^'  '^^^'^  ^"*^g°"'-  Trinitarian 
teaching^     Every  Synagogue  displays  as  its  motto  the 
central  doctnne  of  Jewish  faith,  "  Hear  O  Israel   the 
Lord   your    God,    the   Lord,    is    One."     Whilst   the 
Muezzm  cry  ceaselessly  reiterated   from  every  Mo- 
hammedan Mosque  proclaims  that  "  There  is  but  one 
God  (not  many,  not  three)  and  Mohammed  is  His 
prophet'      Both    sentiments    express    opposition    to 
polytheism,  and  the  Christian  doctrine  of  the  Trinity 
Hebrew  and  Moslem  alike  conceive  God  as  One  with 
a^oneness  which  has  no  essential  triunity  or  manifold- 

ll!.V^^  ^''?'^"  community  also  are  found  many 
Unitarians.  But  a  difference  may  be  noted.  Old 
Testament  Hebrews  formulated  their  faith  before  the 
^ea  of  God's  triunity  had  arisen.  The  truth  had  nol 
been  thrust  upon  their  attemion  for  consideration. 

Mohammed  (570-632  a.d.)  formulated  his  faith 
under  gross  misapprehension  of  the  revelation  which 
Uie  Incarnation  and  Pentecost  had  forced  upon  the 
world.     It  IS  easy  to  see  how  in  an  age  of  mythology. 


8o     THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

when  intercourse  between  lustful  gods  and  human 
creatures  was  commonly  accredited,  that  Mohammed 
and  his  followers  could  fall  into  misconceptions.  To 
further  the  worship  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  the  Church 
had  authorized  adoration  of  her  as  "  The  Mothei  of 
God."  Against  this  phrase,  and  all  it  suggested,  were 
kindled  the  fires  of  their  pure  indignation.  What  they 
thought  it  meant  may  be  caught  from  the  language 
of  the  Moslem  Caliph  who  exclaimed,  "  I  will  split  the 
head  of  any  infidel  dog  who  dares  to  say  that  God 
had  a  female  consort  or  a  son."  We  may  shudder  at 
the  coarseness  of  their  thought,  but  must  face  the  fact 
that  their  conception  exerted  a  tremendous  influence 
on  the  history  of  religion. 

With  modem  Unitarians  the  case  is  different. 
Their  creed  has  been  formed  and  sustained  in  the 
very  heart  of  Christendom.  The  misconceptions 
which  have  led  to  their  rejection  of  the  truth  can 
be  removed  only  by  showing  the  doctrine  to  mean 
something  intelligible,  and  something  helpful. 

It  is  further  quite  possible  that  multitudes  of  Chris- 
tians who  deem  themselves  Trinitarians  are  uncon- 
sciously tri-theists.  Because  they  have  not  ordered 
their  thinking  into  a  consistent  whole,  they  worship 
three  gods — ^not  One.  Gods  so  separate  in  existence 
and  sentiment  that  while  one  is  all  anger,  the  other  is 
all  compassion;  the  one  placating  the  wrath  of  the 
other.  In  this  there  may  be  no  conscious  wrong,  yet 
it  is  untrue  to  the  truth,  and  misrepresents  both  our 
Saviour  and  the  Father  who  gave  Him. 


THE  TRIUNITY  OF  GOD 


8z 


TRINITY  EXPRESSES  INHERENT  TRIUNITY 

The  doctrine  of  the  Trinity  discovers  in  God  a  tri- 
foldness  which  instead  of  destroying  His  unity  dis- 
plays the  inanifoldness  of  His  nature.    Analogies 
range  throughout  the  universe-of  mind,  of  matter 
and  of  force.     At  the  basis  of  mind,  psychology  finds 
three  elementary  powers;  thought,  feeling,  and  voli- 
tion.    Matter  has  three  radical  forms;  solid,  liquid, 
ps.    Light  has  three  fundamental  colours,  red   yel- 
low, and  blue;  and  three  correspondingly  distinct 
powers;  heat-giving,  light-giving,  and  actinic  or  chem- 
ical.    Of  course  there  was  a  time  when  these  funda- 
mental qualities,  inherent  and  essential  though  they  be 
were  not  recognized.    Always  true,  like  God's  triunity' 
they  were  not  always  known. 

The  inherent  nature  of  mind,  of  matter,  and  of 
force  was  brought  to  man's  consciousness  through 
some  mamfcstation,  which  was  observed.    Some  phe~ 
nomenon,  itself  temporary  and  passing,  thrust  upon 
human  attention  the  reality  which  was  permanent 
For  example,  electricity  was  always  the  same  thing 
which  to-day  does  our  work,  and  wafts  our  thought 
round  the  globe.     But  before  its  nature  could  be  dis- 
covered or  its  laws  known,  it  was  necessary  to  trace 
Its  phenomena  back  into  their  hidden  place  of  resi- 
dence.    Benjamin  Franklin  by  identifying  the  spark 
of  the  laboratory  with  the  lightning  of  the  sky  brough. 
to  man's  feet  an  all-powerful  and  all-pervasive  physi- 
cal force— a  gift  of  priceless  value  to  the  human  race. 
In  a  somewhat  similar  way,  was  the  nature  of  God 


82     THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 


i'^ 


revealed.  Always  triune,  or  One  with  an  essential 
three-folflness,  the  fact  was  not  discovered  until  forced 
upon  human  attention  by  the  Incarnation  and  Pente- 
cost. Had  there  been  no  such  manifestation,  God 
would  have  been  exactly  what  He  is — with  this  diflFer- 
ence :  we  should  not  so  have  known  Him.  Who  could 
have  guessed  His  inherent  nature  had  not  some  mani- 
festation brought  it  to  light  ? 

The  universe  might  have  been  full  of  electricity, 
but  its  stored  vn  wealth  would  have  remained  hidden 
from  the  race,  had  not  some  flash  or  spark  excited 
man's  attention. 

"  No  man  hath  seen  God  at  any  time."  Nor  hath 
man  at  any  time  seen  electricity.  Yet  through  its 
revealing  light  and  power  we  can  trace  its  operation. 
We  must  study  the  Unseen  through  its  manifestations. 
H  God  had  no  means  of  self-manifestation  He  could 
never  be  known.  His  Presence  and  nature  are  learned 
through  whatsoever  we  are  able  to  observe  that  in- 
terprets His  being. 

Two  points  are  important.  First,  the  Trinity  as 
historically  unfolded  had  to  do  with  the  manifestation 
of  God.  Secondly,  it  actually  resulted  in  giving  the 
world  a  new  sense  of  God's  Presence,  as  a  personal 
Indwelling  Spirit.  If  then  there  be  any  inherent  three- 
ness  or  triunity  in  God,  it  will  relate  to  His  mani- 
festation, and  His  operation ;  that  is,  in  what  we  know 
of  Him,  and  in  what  He  does  in  us. 

Precisely  this  threeness  is  Scriptural,  and  Histori- 
cal, and  Essential.  For  we  have  (i)  God,  the  Un- 
seen, and  until  manifested,  the  Unknown;  who  unless 


THE  TRIUNITY  OF  GOD  83 

manifested  would  be  indeed  unknowable.  (2)  God, 
manifested  in  Sonship;  an  historical  and  outer  reve- 
lation addressed  to  the  senses;  seen,  heard,  and 
handled.  (3)  God,  known  by  inner  operation,  that 
is,  manifested  through  spiritual  experience. 

If  it  be  objected  that  God,  unseen;  and  God,  seen; 
and  God  operative;  are  not  three,  but  only  One  and 
the  same  God.    That  is  admitted. 

If  it  be  pointed  out  that  there  is  no  mystery  about 
such  a  truth,  for  from  the  nature  of  the  case  it  is  in- 
evitable; we  assent  to  its  inevitableness.    So  long  as 
we  think  of  the  Eternal  and  His  only  possible  method 
of  self -revelation,  there  seems  to  be  no  "  problem  " 
at  all.     When  we  turn  to  Scripture  we  find  that  Rev- 
elation expresses  the  very  truth  above  presented  as 
mherent  and  necessary.     "  In  the  beginning  was  the 
Word,  and  the  Word  was  with  God,  and  the  Word 
was  God.     All  things  mere  made  by  Him,  etc."    God's 
Word  being  His  self-expression,  this  self-expression 
IS  the  actual  bringing  of  all  things  into  existence. 
That  IS,  God  and  His  self-manifestation  are  viewed 
as  One.    God  is  all,  and  in  all,  and  is  manifested 
through  aU.    Not  three  Gods,  but  One. 


II:     ( 


VI 

THE  SONSHIP  OF  JESUS 

OUR  difficulty  in  construing  the  truth  of  the  Trin- 
ity arises  only  when  we  begin  to  think  of  "  per- 
sons "  and  personality.  For  our  creed  says  that 
there  are  three  "  persons  "  in  one  God.  Does  that  not 
contradict  the  laws  of  our  thinking  ?  It  seems  to  do  so. 
This  is  the  poiiit  of  stumbling.  For  if  it  meant  that 
there  were  three  separate  or  different  Gods  that  would 
be  tri-theism.  Against  all  tri-theism,  as  against  all 
polytheism,  we  are  defended  in  every  way.  The  idea 
of  two  or  more  gods  violates  reason,  and  rends  the 
universe.  "  If  there  were  two  gods,"  said  Socrates, 
"they  would  fight."  All  our  thinking,  as  ^ve  have 
seen,  implies  unity  which  is  consummated  in  the 
Absolute.  Monotheism  is  ultimate  truth ;  the  supreme 
category  which  governs  all  true  thought,  and  all  wor- 
thy worship.  Such  tri-theism  as  may  still  linger  in 
Christianity  must  be  either  unconscious,  of  subcon- 
scious. 

Against  another  error  we  are  defended.  Neither 
reason  nor  Scripture  says  ihat  three  gods  are  one  God. 
Three  units  cannot  be  one  unit.  It  is  antagonism  to 
this  impossibility  that  gives  life  to  all  Hebrew  and 
Mohammedan  and  Unitarian  teaching.    Our  creed 


THE  SONSHIP  OF  JESUS 


8S 


may  to  modern  ears  appear  to  affirm  such  an  in- 
coiigruous  idea;  but  any  attempt  to  hold  such  an  un- 
truth would  be  to  discredit  reason  and  to  dishonour 
God.    The  truth  unfolded  by  the  doctrine  we  are  ex- 
amining does  not  raise  another  God  "beside  the 
Lord,"  as  Hebrews  claim  when  retorting  "  The  Eter- 
nal has  declared  that  beside  Himself  there  is  no  god, 
nor  saviour."  *    The  doctrine  does  not  set  up  other 
gods  beside  the  Eternal.    It  constitutes  but  an  unfold- 
ing or  revealing  of  the  One  God  whom  we  all  worship. 
The  entire  truth  of  the  Trinity  lies  within,  not  outside 
of  God;  adds  not  to,  but  is  an  explication  of  God. 
Consequently  any  true  doctrine  of  the  Trinity  must 
show  that  God  is  three  in  a  sense  different  from  that 
in  which  He  is  One.     The  threeness  discovered  as  a 
fact  of  revelation  becomes  an  explanation  of  His  na- 
ture; not  an  infringement  of  His  Supremacy.     Every 
line  of  truth,  through  the  Son,  and  through  the  Spirit, 
leads  up  to  the  One  God  "  who  so  lovod  the  world 
that  He  gave  "  both  the  Son  and  th.  Spirit. 

When  we  come  to  interpret  the  facts,  the  way  would 
be  clearer  had  we  but  Scripture  and  reason,  to  bring 
into  harmony.  But  we  are  confronted  also  by  ven- 
erable theories  entrenched  in  cherished  creeds.  So  it 
comes  to  pass  that  our  difficulty  lies  not  so  much  with 
the  mystery,  as  with  beliefs  regarding  the  mystery. 
A  trying  matter  this;  because  divesting  oneself  of  an 
old  and  sacred  conception  is  painful— a  kind  of  self- 
martyrdom.     Yet  man  must  be  willing  even  to  die  for 

•  Vttie  "A  Jewish  Reply  to  Christian  Evangelists,"  by  Lewis 
A.  Hart. 


p  ,11 

III 

11 


86 


If 


TFTE  SCIE.Ntr  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 


the  truth.     In  such  a  spint  of  self-surrender  alone  is 
a  man  meet  to  .mproach  the  study  of  God's  being. 

The  difficulties  then  are  chiefl)  (not  wholly)  two. 
Neither  of  them  Scriptural,  nor  natuial.  Both  of 
them  creedal. 

(a)  The  first  relates  to  the  language  in  which  the 
doctrine  has  bern  fomuilated. 

The  word  "pciMu"  is  not  Scriptural.     Was  not 
used  by  our  Lord,  n  .r  His  di.cii.les.     Was  adopted  in 
a  later  age.  by  whom  we  know  not.     Has  no  super- 
natural authority.     And  meant  not  in  ancient  times 
what  it  means  to-day.     Our  luiglfsh  w.-rd  "  person  " 
comes  not  from  Hebrew,  nor  from  Greek,  the  original 
languages  of   the   Bible,   but    from   the  Latin   word 
persona.     And   it  meant,   not   '•  persunaiit).  *  as   wc 
commonly  conceive  the  word  "person  '  *.,  connote; 
but  a  mask  or  character,  as  "characters"  are  pre- 
sented in  the  drama,  uh.-fe  <■  •<   i.idivi.l  , .!  ,n.i^  repre- 
sent many  parts,  or  cliararters.     It  is  a  picture  word 
and  when  first  used  by  the  Church  in  this  discussion 
meant  not  a  personality,  but  a  representation,  or  per- 
sona of  the  reality  or  pc  ...lal-fy.     Accordingly,  the 
statemeni   of  ihc  d    trine  of  the  Trinity  was  once 
nearer  the  truth,  and  far  more  intelligible,  than  it  is 
to-day. 

It  may  be  helpful  for  us  also  to  observe  that  the 
words  "  Father "  and  "  Son."  though  Biblical,  are 
borrowed  from  human  relationships,  and  are  inade- 
quate to  represent  spiritual  relations.  God  is  Father 
in  quite  a  difTcrent  sense  from  that  of  human  parent- 
age.    The  Sonship  of  Christ  commenced  not  at  the 


THE  SONSHIP  OF  JESUS  87 

point  where  He  touched  human  relations.  We  ought 
to  perceive  deeper  meanings  underneath  these  some- 
what figurative  terms. 

(b)  Our  secoi.d  difficulty  arises  when  we  attempt 
to  conceive  the  equality  of  Jesus  with  the  Father. 
An  effort  which,  were  it  successful,  would  produce  the 
further  impossible  problem  of  conceiving  two  co-equal 
I)ersonalities  as  one. 

The  Scriptures  nowhere  affirm  that  Jesus  was  equal 
to  G.xl.    A  misiraiislation  in  the  Authorized  Version 
almost  did  so.     But  more  accurate  rendition  of  the 
original  comports  better  with  our  Lord's  own  life  and 
statement.    Phil.  2 : 6  reads,  "  Who,  being  in  the  form 
of  God,  counted  it  not  a  thing  to  be  grasped   (or 
eagerly  claimed)  to  be  on  equality  with  God."    Jesus, 
Himself,  expressly  f  iid,  "  Tlu  F.iJiri  is  greater  than 
I"  (John    14:28).     H  we  believe  Him  the  case  is 
settled.     If  not,  what  can  we  do  with  the  statement? 
But  His  clear  affirmation  stands  not  alone.     Jesus 
makes  His  meaning  unmistakable  by  oft  reiterated 
statements,  all  of  which  attest  the  Father's  supremacy, 
and  at  the  same  time  show  that  Jesus  freely  acknowl- 
edged His  subordination. 

Take  such  declarations  as  the  following: 

"  I  seek  not  mine  own  will  but  the  will  of  Him 
that  sent  me." — ^John  5:30. 

"  My  meat  is  to  do  the  will  of  Him  that  sent  me, 
and  to  accomplish  His  work."— John  4:  34. 

"  For  I  am  come  down  from  heaven,  not  to  do 

mine  own  will,  but  the  will  of  Him  that  sent  me." 

John  6:38. 


^k 


MIOtOCOTY   RESOIUTION   TEST   CHART 

(ANSI  and  ISO  TEST  CHART  No.  2) 


1.0 


I.I 


145 

150 


1^      1^ 

?r  13.6 


k.k.u 


2.5 


2.2 


2.0 
1.8 


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88     THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

"  O  my  Father,  if  it  be  possible,  let  this  cup  pass 
away  from  me;  nevertheless,  not  as  I  will,  but  as  Thou 
wilt." — Matt.  26 :  39. 

"  The  words  that  I  say  unto  you,  I  speak  not  from 
myself,  but  the  Father  abiding  in  me  doeth  His  works." 
— ^John  14 :  10. 

"  My  teaching  is  not  mine,  but  His  that  sent  me." 
— ^John  7:16, 

"  As  the  Father  gave  me  commandment,  even  so  I 
do." — ^John  14:31. 

"  The  cup  that  the  Father  hath  given  me,  shall  I 
not  drink  it?" — ^John  18: 11. 

"  He  that  believeth  on  me,  believeth  not  on  me  but 
on  Him  that  sent  me." — John  12 :  44. 

"  As  the  Father  hath  sent  me,  even  so  send  I  you." 
— ^John  20:21, 

"  The  Son  can  do  nothing  of  Himself." — ^John  5 :  19. 

"I  can  of  mine  own  self  do  nothing." — ^John  % :  30. 

But  enough ;  this  truth  is  indubitably  certain. 

Another  truth,  by  illustration,  may  be  made  equally 
clear.  Remembering  the  inadequacy  of  physical  anal- 
ogies to  present  spiritual  realities,  let  us  look  through 
a  material  simile  at  the  spiritual  reality  we  are  seeking 
to  explore. 

"  I  and  the  Father  are  one,"  said  Jesus;  and  "  The 
Father  is  greater  than  I." 

There  is  no  contradiction.  Dip  a  drop  from  the 
ocean  and  let  it  speak  to  you.  It  can  say  "  I  and  the 
ocean  are  one,"  and  "  the  ocean  is  greater  than  I." 
Nevertheless  there  is  a  difference.  Truly  one  with, 
and  truly  representative  of  the  ocean,  yet  it  lacks  the 


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THE  SONSHIP  OF  JESUS  89 

ocean's  broad  expanse,  its  swelling  tides,  its  depths 
unfathomable,  its  bosom  bearing  power. 

Somewhat  similarly  though  much  more  fully  was 
Jesus  one  with  the  Father.  A  drop  can  be  "  isolated  " 
from  the  ocean;  but  no  spirit  can  be  isolated  from 
God.  He  is  the  life  of  our  life.  "  In  Him  we  live, 
and  move,  and  have  our  being."  The  Incarnation 
made  ''^od  visible,  but  Jesus  was  not  isolated  from  the 
Eternal.  God  embodied  His  nature  in  "  personality  " 
of  the  human  type  in  the  Messiah,  Who  became 
God's  Personal  rovclation  because  He  was  conscious 
of  His  Sonship.  The  truth  for  which  all  the  ages 
had  been  preparing  had  become  possible,  when  the 
conditions  were  ripe.  In  the  "  fulness  of  time  "  He 
was  sent,  and  faithful  to  His  nature.  He  was  self- 
conscious  of  His  high  station.  The  reality  was  true 
on  the  inside,  as  well  as  on  the  outside;  as  true  essen- 
tially as  phenomenally. 

Jesus  not  only  was  God  manifest  in  the  flesh,  but 
He  knew  it.  Was  not  only  "  sent,"  but  was  adequate 
to  His  Mission.  Not  only  felt  His  call,  but  fulfilled 
it,  and  "  for  the  joy  that  was  set  before  Him  endured 
the  cross,"  compelling  a  world  to  see  it  as  God's  cross 
always  erect  in  the  universe. 

The  whole  glorious  truth  was  resident  in  personality. 
In  Jesus,  the  Invisible  became  visible;  tangible;  in- 
telligible. "In  Him  dwell  all  the  fulness  of  the 
God-head  bodily."  Christ  is  the  thought;  the  emo- 
tion; and  the  self  of  God  uttered  for  us.  "And  we 
beheld  His  glory,  the  glory  as  of  the  only  begotten 
of  the  Father,  full  of  grace  and  truth."    Therein  was 


90     THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 


the  significance  of  the  Incarnation.  His  life  revealed 
the  God-head;  r-ade  it  intelligible;  and  so  unfolded 
the  mystery  which  had  hitherto  enshrouded  God's 
nature. 

Nevertheless  was  it  true,  "The  Father  is  greater 
than  I."  The  Incatnate  One  was  not  Omnipresent. 
He  was  "  localized  "  as  God  is  not.  Hence  if  was 
"  expedient  "  that  the  local  Presence  should  make  way 
for  the  universal  Presence  (John  16:7).  This,  in- 
deed, is  the  very  truth  Jesus  was  revealing  when  He 
declared,  "If  ye  loved  me  ye  would  have  rejoiced 
because  I  go  unto  the  Father,  for  the  Father  is 
greater  than  I  "  (John  14:  28). 

Jesus  was  not  Omniscient.  Regarding  His  own 
return  He  said,  "  But  of  thai  day  or  that  hour,  know- 
eth  no  one,  not  even  the  angels  in  Heaven;  neither 
the  Son,  but  the  Father"  (Mark  13:32). 

Jesus  was  not  Omnipotent.  "  The  Son,"  said  He, 
"can  do  nothing  of  Himself"  (John  5:19).  "Of 
mine  own  self  I  can  do  nothing  "  (John  5 :  30).  To 
the  request  of  James  and  John  for  first  places  in  His 
kingdom,  Jesus  replied,  "  To  sit  on  my  right  hand, 
and  on  my  left  hand,  is  not  mine  to  give,  but  it  is  for 
them  for  whom  it  hath  been  prepared  of  my  Father  " 
(Matt.  20:23).  In  short,  though  Jesus  could  say, 
"  I  and  the  Father  are  one,"  He  could  also  say,  "  The 
Father  is  greater  than  I." 


HOW  ACCOUNT  FOR  JESUS? 

A  further  mystery  awaits  us.     How  are  we  to  ac- 
count for  Jesus  ?    How  came  He  to  be  what  He  was  ? 


THE  SONSHIP  OF  JESUS  91 

The  Unitarian  says,  Jesus  was  bom  of  human 
parents,  and  the  only  difference  between  Him  and 
other  men  is  a  difference  of  degree.  But  that  does 
not  help  us;  for  it  is  precisely  that  difference  that 
we  have  to  account  for.  Between  Jesus  and  the  high- 
est of  earth's  prodigies  there  is  an  interval  so  great 
as  to  constitute  the  very  mystery  we  are  contem- 
plating. 

From  the  day  of  Strauss  and  Renan  to  the  present, 
a  school  of  writers  has  maintained  that  a  mytholo- 
gizing  process,  commencing  with  His  admiring  dis- 
ciples, resulted  in  His  Deification.  But  this  explana- 
tion is  weak  at  two  points,  (i)  It  fails  to  account 
for  the  Man  Jesus;  the  being  which  is  assumed,  before 
legends  could  have  any  meaning.  (2)  It  fails  to  ex- 
plain either  the  history  of  Israel,  which  prepared  for 
His  coming,  or  the  spiritual,  moral,  and  intellectual 
revelation—the  race  uplift— which  He  effected. 
Myths  move  in  the  realm  of  the  unreal;  and  die.  We 
have  to  explain  a  real  mystery;  a  growing  fact;  and 
that  fact  is  God  in  Christ  Jesus. 

THE    VIRGIN    BIRTH 

To  an  uncritical  age  the  story  of  the  immaculate 
conception  must  have  carried  a  weight  quite  incon- 
ceivable to  us.  The  Virgin  birth  was  not  new  to 
Christianity.  But  the  fact  that  the  idea  is  found  in 
earlier  religions  would  not  in  itself  disprove  its  reality. 

Two  difficulties,  however,  arise  for  a  reflective  age. 
(a)  One  critical,     (b)  The  other  scientific. 

(a)  Both  the  genealogies  of  Jesus  given  in  the 


THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

Bible  make  Him  the  son  of  Joseph.  Matthew  (i :  i- 
i6)  connects  Him  by  physical  generation  with  David, 
and  closes  with  (ver.  i6)  "  and  Jacob  begat  Joseph 
the  husband  of  Mary,  of  whom  was  bom  Jesus,  who 
is  called  Christ." 

Luke  (3 :  23-38)  runs  the  line  in  the  re  -rse  order, 
commencing,  "And  Jesus  Himself  .    .    .  being  the 
son  (as  was  supposed)  of  Joseph,  the  son  of  Heli," 
etc.,  and  closing  (ver.  38)   "the  son  of  Enos,  the 
son  of  Seth,  the  son  of  Adam,  the  son  of  God."     If 
Joseph  was  not  Jesus'  father,  wha^  motive  could  be 
assigned    for    tracing    his    genealogy?    Surely    the 
writers  were  sincere!    But  the  significance  of  the 
genealogies  is  as  nothing  compared  with  the  fact  that 
the  two  profoundest  thinkers  of  the  New  Testament, 
though  expressly  devoted  to  esta'  lishing  the  Divinity 
of  Christ,  utterly  ignored  the  virgin  birth.    Why  did 
not  Paul  avail  himself  of  exactly  the  proof  he  needed 
if  he  deemed  it  adequate?    The  fourth  Gospel  was 
written  "  that  ye  might  believe  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ, 
the  Son  of  God"  (John  20:31),  nevertheless  it  ex- 
cludes the  story.* 

(b)  Science  finds  another  diflSculty.  It  regards 
God  as  the  source  of  law.  And  it  sees  a  difference 
betwe^'n  physical  and  spiritual  generation.  Physical 
life  is  given  to  us  without  our  consent,  and  whatever 
be  its  cast,  good  or  bad,  is  to  us  no  credit;  no  shame. 
But  spiritual  life,  if  it  be  ever  possessed,  becomes 
ours  by  deliberate  choice.     One  is  thrust  upon  us  by 

•  Vtde  Carpenter's  "The  Bible  in  the  Nineteenth  Century"  for 
critical  statement. 


THE  SONSHIP  OF  JESUS  93 

birth;  the  other  is  accepted  later  through  a  voluntary, 
and  intelhgent  experience.  The  whole  worth  of 
moral  and  spiritual  life  is  that  it  represents  free 
choice.  That  is  God's  own  law.  To  regard  Jesus  as 
perfect  because  of  a  peculiar  generation  would  put 
Him  as  completely  out  of  the  human  class  as  if  He 
had  appeared  among  us  without  birth  at  all— a  mirac- 
ulous apparition;  He  would  not  be  human;  He 
could  not  be  touched  with  the  f.  ding  of  our  infir- 
mities. 

To  make  Jesus  sinless  because  of  an  "immaculate 
conception,  does  not  help  science.  If  sin  would  at- 
tach to  Him  had  He  two  human  parents,  then  it  would 
come  upon  Him  through  one  human  parent.  In 
either  case  He  has  fleshly  relations.  His  body  is 
physical  whether  He  derives  it  from  one  human  par- 
ent or  two.  ^ 

If  then  neither  method  of  "generation"  (that  is 
purely  human  nor  partW  human)  serves  to  account 
for^the  fact  of  Jesus,  can  He  in  any  way  be  accounted 

Science  has  to  admit  with  reverence  that  she  is 
unable  to  account  for  any  ultimate  fact  of  the  uni- 
verse. She  cannot  account  for  electricity,  nor  grav- 
itation, nor  life.  All  she  can  do  is,  on  the  one  hand 
to  expose  untruth,  and  on  the  other  to  establish  facts' 
^ws,  etc.  On  every  plane  of  truth  this  is  apparent' 
l^or  example,  no  explanation  can  be  given  of  Shake 

?r?»  ."?.  '*''"'^'   °"*   ^   '^"'^   ^"^    inexplicable 
fact     m  literature.    If  that  can  be  said  of  Shake- 
speare, how  much  more  truly  of  Jesus?    Aptly  was 


94  THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 
the  case  put  by  Charles  Lamb  to  a  group  of  literati 
when  discussing  the  difference  between  these  very 
personaliries.  "If  Shakespeare  should  enter  this 
room,"  said  Lamb,  "  we  would  all  rise  up  to  greet 
him.  If  Jesus  should  come  in,  we  would  all  kneel 
before  Him  in  worship." 

The  miracle  of  Jesus  shows  in  His  perception  of 
what  iTi  ..  j;  ,1 .  uas  self-conscious  of  His  .'■  less- 
ness;  of  His  authority;  of  His  power;  of  F  .ace 
in  history,  and  the  Father's  purpose.  He  wa'  .cnsible 
of  His  Sonship  and  one-ness  with  God,  and  asserted 
it.  He  possessed  prevision  of  His  high  destiny  as  a 
Sa\  lour  and  Mediator. 

That  was  V  ,  miracle  onits  inner  side.     We  catch 
gleams  of  it,  in  such  declarations  as  these : 

"Before  Abraham  was,  I  am." 

"  The  Son  of  man  is  Lord  also  of  the  Sabbath." 

"  I  am  the  light  of  the  world." 

"  I  am  the  living  bread  which  came  down  from 
Heaven." 

"  And  I,  if  I  be  lifted  up  from  the  earth,  will  draw 
all  men  unto  me." 

"  I  am  the  way,  the  truth,  and  the  life;  no  man 
Cometh  unto  the  Father  but  by  me." 

And,  climax  of  all!  Jesus  left  no  successor  to 
Himself  except  the  Holy  Spirit,  whom  He  promised 
to  every  believer. 

The  miracle  in  its  outer  manifestation,  lives  in  the 
changed  course  of  li'^^nr-v  .^n-!  the  pxalfilion  of  the 
human  race.  It  was  seen  in  the  influence  He  wielded 
over  His  contemporaries.     It  is  seen  in  the  growing 


THE  SONSHIP  OF  JESUS  95 

place  He  has  to-day  in  literature,  art,  and  socioloev 
as  well  as  in  the  religion  of  the  world  ^ ' 

in  >suT  ^''"'  "^^"'"^  ""'^"^  '"^"'  ^"^  •*  ««ded 

We  account  for  eflFects  by  positing  adequate  causes 
Science  accounts  for  the  "  soark  "  ht  r„.  f 

tricitv  nnM  r-k  •  .  ^  y  recogniznig  elec- 

tricity   and  Christ  can  only  be  aocoun/ed  for  by  His 

«#^  n«:.    •     T      "'*^  ""'^«^  se-    The  man  who  cannot 
sec  Deity  ui  Jesus,  will  see  God  nowhere. 

THE  SONSHIP  OF  GOD 

is  greater  ^F^n  I  "  earner 

Incons'    r         .  e  is  only  apparent,  not  real.    God's 

self-utten  .,e  Word  "  must  be  co-eternal  wfth 

s?y  'tha"t  G^H^^^r  ""'  ''  '^"^^"-     «"^   "" 
says  that  God  s  self-manifestation  is  confined  to  Jesus 

God  reveals  Himself  also  through  nature  and  science 
through  Scripture  and  all  things.  Hence  gIvITu' 
pifestation  or  Sonship  includes  JesuTbut  i  ^id  " 
In  Scriptural  terms  "  The  Word  v.as  made  flesh  and 

thTwor""  "p^'  ;"'  "  ^^^  -^  -  ^^-*  red:  m  n^ 
the  world.       Electricity  was  in  the  liVht  ini,m.n„  ,u 

world.    B„.  .he  .ota.  electricity  of  tht  ™ i™™^;^: 


•- — ^m 


I    i 


■NHt 


96     THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

not  resident  in  it.  Electricity  tabernacled  in  it,  and 
was  visibly  revealed  throtig^h  it,  yet  electricity  is 
greater  than  the  revealing  light;  and  has  other  forms 
of  manifestation. 

Of  course  God's  self -revelation  when  manifested  in 
personality,  must  be  Personal.  Still  it  ought  to  be 
remembered  that  Jesus  was  not  Son  of  the  Father  in 
the  same  sense  that  a  finite  being  is  son  of  a  human 
parent.  The  relation  denoted  is  spiritual.  We  must 
look  through  the  inadequate  terminology  of  human 
language  at  the  wider  and  inexpressible  truth.  Ac- 
curate conceptions  are  essential  to  the  true  worship 
of  intellectually  endowed  beings.  God  as  universally 
manifested  was  "  The  Word."  And  "  the  Word  be- 
came flesh  "  in  Jesus.  One  represents  Goa  s  eternal 
Sonship,  the  other  His  unique  Son.  One  His  com- 
plete incarnation;  the  other  His  Incarnation  in  the 
man  Christ  Jesus.  According  to  Professor  W.  New- 
ton Clarke,  "  The  word  '  Son '  is  not  given  in  the 
Scriptures  to  the  Second  within  the  Godhead,  but  only 
to  the  Second  in  the  manifested  Trinity, — ^not  to  the 
Word,  but  to  Jesus  Christ.  No  'Eternal  Son'  is 
mentioned  in  the  Scriptures."  * 

To  use  the  term  "  sonship  "  of  God's  total  self- 
manifestation  may  not  seem  appropriate,  though  He 
be  Father  and  Author  of  all  things.  Yet  is  it  not 
as  expressive  as  the  term  "  Word  "  or  self -utterance? 
And  when  we  come  to  the  personal  relation  no  other 
term  would  be  appropriate.  Our  language  is  inade- 
quate; but  our  thinking  need  not  be.  The  Sonship  of 
♦  "Outline  of  Christian  Theology,"  p.  17a. 


THE  SONSHIP  OF  JESUS 


97 


God  came  to  personal  consciousness  in  Jesus;  and  in 
Jesus  only;  making  Him  the  only  begotten  of  the 
Father.  "  There  is  one  God,  and  one  Mediator  also 
between  God  and  men,  Himself  man,  Christ  Jesus." 

The  especial  message  and  significance  of  Jesus  is 
that  God's  life  is  spiritual  and  ethical;  not  physical, 
nor  merely  rational.  Physical  sonship,  and  ethnic  re- 
lations were  swallowed  up  in  the  new  sonship  which 
He  brought  to  light.  God's  Being — the  Spirit  of  the 
universe — ^attained  its  highest  expression  in  Jesus 
Chri  ',  and  is  seen  to  be  wholly  ethical  and  voluntary; 
wholly  characterized  by  spiritual  qualities — love,  faith, 
holiness,  and  self-sacrifice. 

Unique  in  Sonship,  He  who  was  bom  of  a  woman, 
was  also  Son  of  the  Highest.  He  who  was  Jesus 
of  Nazareth,  is  also  Christ,  the  Anointed.  He  who 
had  a  local  and  h'storic  experience  in  temporal  rela- 
tions, has  also  a  life  spiritual  and  timeless.  Waxing, 
not  waning.  His  Sonship  reveals  God's  life;  and  per- 
sonifies His  redeeming  Presence  and  Power.  Never- 
theless, Jesus  was  net  the  Father,  but  the  Son  of  the 
Father. 

Something  as  the  macrocosmos  is  epitomized  in 
the  microcosmos,  so  the  Eternal  was  epitomized,  if 
we  may  so  speak,  in  the  Son.  There  is  no  violence 
here;  the  relation  is  real  and  significant,  and  consti- 
tutes an  intelligent  step  into  the  spiritual  mystery. 

We  see  God  in  Christ,  yet  we  preserve  the  primacy 
of  the  Father.  We  realize  the  essential  deity  of  the 
Son  of  God,  and  through  Hi  i  enter  into  an  experi- 
ence, and  rise  to  a  knowledge  utterly  inconceivable, . 


■M 


m 


98     THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

until  lie  came.  So  that  He  is  not  only  a  revcaler  of 
the  Father,  but  the  altogether  singular  and  representa- 
tive Revealer  of  the  Father. 

There  is  another  side  to  this  unique  Revelation. 
We  know  not  the  whole  truth  till  we  perceive  that  the 
Son  can  be  known  only  as  we  come  to  know  the 
Father;  because  the  Son  and  the  Father  are  one.  In 
other  words,  we  know  not  the  Son  until  we  discern 
His  deity.  "  No  man  knoweth  the  Son  but  the 
Father."  That  is  a  clue  to  the  mystery.  The  plum- 
met is  in  soundless  depths.  In  a  very  real  sense  we 
know  more  of  the  Father  than  we  do  of  the  Son. 

To  put  the  same  truth  in  diflferent  form,  only  as  we 
grow  in  knowledge  of  the  Father,  can  we  enter  into 
the  mystery  of  the  Son.  This  statement  is  borne  out 
by  history;  and  already  sufficient  history  lies  between 
the  Incarnation  and  our  age  to  illustrate  its  trend  and 
meaning.  Before  the  great  Revelation  began  to  dawn 
what  men  beheld  in  Jesus  was  "  the  carpenter's  son." 
After  a  time  certain  persons  confessed  that  "never 
man  spake  like  this  man."  Others  said  "  No  man 
can  do  these  works  except  God  be  with  him."  But 
to  His  own  generation  He  remained  a  "  man,"  won- 
derfully wise,  surpassingly  gentle  and  compassionate, 
a  worker  of  miracles.  To  a  single  spirit  came  the 
flash  of  higher  revelation.  "  Thou  art  the  Christ,  the 
Son  of  the  living  God."  That  flash  seemed  extin- 
guished by  the  crucifixion.  But  atter  the  resurrection 
broke  again  into  a  blaze  of  light  destined  to  illumine 
the  world.  Stage  by  stage  with  the  passing  centuries 
has  the  doctrine  of  Christ  widened  and  deepened. 


THE  SONSH.  r»  OF  JESUS  99 

Neither  the  early,  nor  the  Middle  Apes,  could  see 
Christ  as  the  twentieth  century  beholds  Him. 

Difference  in  the  object  is  there  none;  the  differ- 
ence is  in  the  beholders.     The  reason  we  perceive 
Christ's  divinity  through  His  moral  and  spiritual  in- 
fluence upon  the  ages,  rather  than  through  the  miracles 
He   wrought   in   Palestine,   or  because  the   Fathers 
formulated   authoritative   "reedal    definitions   of   the 
Trinity ;  is  because  we  are  'hanging  with  the  ages ;  be- 
cause, in  short,  we  see  in  Christ  what  we  have  learned 
of  the  Father.     God  was  in  Christ  redeeming  the 
world.     One  age  saw  Calvary  m  J  understood  it  not. 
Every  age  since  has  been  explaining  its  significance 
and  proclaiming  its  effects,  but  still  the  mystery  and 
the  power  are  growing.     We  see  more  in  Calvary 
than  any  preceding  age  because  of  what  we  know  of 
the  Eternal  Heart.     Historians  and  critics,  poets  and 
philosophers,    theologians   and   contemplative    saints, 
have  all   sought  to  set   forth  the  real  Christ.     Not 
fruitlessly  either;  for  the  wealth  of  content  is  grow- 
ing and  seems  destined  still  to  increase.    It  we  ex- 
amine the  Christian  consciousness  of  our  day,  it  is 
remarkable  to  note  how  small  an  extent  the  external 
visible  history  of  Christ  enters  into  the  *otality  .  r 
our  conception  of  Him.     His  history  gives  ;•  :im  date, 
place,  and  nationality,  making  His  human  and  tem- 
poral life  real  for  us.     But  compared  with  what  He 
stands  for  in  the  moral  and  spiritual  life  of  the  world, 
the  temporal  element  constitutes  but  a  beginning  and 
introduction. 
So  small  and  subordinate  a  part  does  the  external 


Is 


lOO   THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

history  of  the  Christ  play  in  His  total  representation, 
we  are  coming  to  see  that  He  cannot  be  perceived  in 
that  way.  As  St.  Paul  expressed  it,  "  Even  though 
we  have  known  Christ  after  the  flesh,  yet  now  we 
know  Him  so  no  more"  (2  Cor,  5: 16).  We  can 
neither  read  history,  nor  study  the  record  of  His 
earthly  career  without  seeing  all  in  the  light  of  this 
larger  truth.  It  is  this  moral  and  spiritual  dominance 
of  the  Christ  that  makes  interpretation  hopeless  to  the 
sceptic  of  His  higher  claims.  For  what  we  have  to 
explain  is  precisely  this  living  influence.  The  impres- 
sion made  upon  men  by  Christ's  personality  was  but 
the  beginning  of  the  maivel.  The  impression  made 
upon  succeeding  ages,  growing  in  all  that  makes  for 
intelligence,  morality,  and  truth,  has  also  to  be  ac- 
counted for.  No  mythology  can  do  the  one,  nor  the 
other.  Just  as  science  finds  in  a  fact  an  eternal  prin- 
ciple, so  in  the  life  of  Christ  was  discovered  the  char- 
acter of  the  Eternal,  causing  a  new  spiritual  realm  to 
open  for  mankind,  and  new  forces  to  operate  for  the 
world's  redemption. 

Thus  the  Christ  of  the  present  is  something  more, 
something  greater  than  the  Christ  of  the  early  Chris- 
tian centuries.  Once  He  was  seen  in  the  restrictions 
of  a  bodily  life;  now  we  behold  Him  as  a  sheer  Spirit- 
ual power  behind  and  above  the  world  movement, 
transforming  the  ages. 

There  can  be  but  one  explanation  and  that  psycho- 
logical. Christ  represented  that  which  arrests  the 
mind.  Nay,  He  is  that  which  transforms  man's  na- 
ture.   It  is  on  this  ground  that  we  all  stand  with  St. 


THE  SONSHIP  OF  JESUS  loi 

Paul.  No  personality  fell  ever  more  profoundly 
under  the  influence  of  Christ  than  did  the  great 
Apostle,  yet  Paul's  profession  ran,  "  I  live,  neverthe- 
less not  I.  but  Christ  liveth  in  me."  And  once  again, 
"  For  me  to  live  is  Christ."  Here  we  are  in  psycho- 
logical realms  dealing  with  a  spiritual  Presence.  For 
St.  Paul,  therefore,  Christ  was  the  very  essence  of  the 
Unseen  and  the  living  influence  of  the  Eternal.  Paul 
was  moved,  not  by  the  records  of  His  earthly  career, 
but  by  an  experience  in  which  Christ  came  to  him! 
Explain  it  how  we  may,  Paul's  life  stands  for  that 
fact.    And  men  to-day  enjoy  the  same  experience. 

One  of  the  painful  things  in  this  connection  is 
that,  a  certain  class  of  minds  gladly  accept  the 
spiritual  and  moral  Christ,  but  want  to  disconnect 
Him  from  the  Incarnation.  The  fact  that  Christ  was, 
and  is,  and  evermore  shall  be,  the  express  image  and 
effulgence  of  the  Father,  does  not  and  cannot  separate 
Him  from  His  manifestation  in  time  relations.  We 
can  understand  neither  without  the  other.  The  In- 
visible became  visible  and  tangible  in  Him.  The 
Eternal  silence  broke  into  human  speech,  and  the 
Great  Heart  into  expressive  compassion,  in  the  person 
of  Jesus. 


111! 

1:-: 


VII 
THE  HOLY  SPIRIT 

THE  triunity  of  God,  as  we  have  seen,  exhibits 
in  normal  relations  (i)  His  Essential  Being, 
(2)    His  Objective   Manifestation,    (3)    His 
Subjective  Operation. 

Already  has  it  been  shown  that  the  triunity  of  God 
came  to  light  through  His  historical  unfolding;  more 
particularly,  through  the  Incarnation  and  Pentecost. 
In  dealing  with  the  objective  manifestation  of  the 
Eternal,  the  difficulty  recognized  was  that  of  seeing 
God  in  Christ  truly,  without  regarding  the  Infinite 
and  His  Incarnation  as  two  co-equals. 

A  somewhat  analogous,  though  less  obtrusive,  dif- 
ficulty is  occasioned  by  the  doctrine  of  the  Holy  Spirit; 
for  manifestly  no  particular  revelation  of  the  Infinite 
can  be  identical  with,  or  equal  to,  the  Infinite.  When 
God  comes  into  finite  relations,  either  by  objective 
manifestation  or  spiritual  operation,  the  distinction 
here  indicated  requires  to  be  made  for  the  sake  simply 
of  thinking  truly,  i.e.,  of  conceiving  the  Eternal  as 
Infinite  and  Immanent. 

Through  personal  experience  we  discover  that  God 
comes  to  us  in  intuition,  conscience,  conviction,  regen- 
eration, and  developing  spiritual  life.     Here  we  are 

103 


i>    ' 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  103 

dealing  not  with  speculative  or  dogmatic  theories,  but 
with  a  living  reality.    There  is  no  need  to  argue  the 
Divinity  of  the  Presence  working  within  us;  and  the 
ambiguity  of  the  word  "person"  need  not  intrude 
for  when  speaking  of  God  we  are  always,  as  already 
shown,  m  the  realm  of  the  spiritual,  that  is,  where  all 
is  personal  or  supra-personal.    So  soon,  therefore  as 
the  significance  of  the  form  "  spirit "  is  understood,  it 
becomes  obvious  that  the  Holy  Spirit  cannot  be  non- 
persona  ;  nor  impersonal;  cannot  be,  in  fine,  less  than 
personal;  however  much  more  He  may  be.     So  it 
comes  to  pass  that  the  God  whom  we  know  through 
His  Incarnation  is  discovered  also  within  our  own 
spiritual  experience;  the  outer  and  inner  revelations 
bearing  witness  the  one  to  the  other 

In  the  New  Testament  the  Holy  Spirit  is  represented 
as  the  gift  .f  the  Father,  and  yet  related  to  Jesus 
Christ.  I  will  pray  the  Father,"  said  Jesus,  "and 
He  shall  ^ve  you  another  Paraclete,  that  He  may  be 
with  you  forever"  (John  14: 16).  "But  the  Para- 
clete, even  the  Holy  Spirit,  whom  the  Father  will  send 
m  my  name.  He  shall  teach  you  all  things,  and  bring 
to  your  remembrance  all  that  I  said  unto  you  "  (John 
14:26  .     And  "He  shall  glorify  me;  for  He  shall 

16  1°)  """''  ^""^  '^^^  "^^"'^"^  '^  ""*°  >'°""  (Jo^-^ 

So  closely  does  Jesus  identify  the  Holy  Spirit  with 

Himself  that  He  promises  to  His  followers  a  new 

whirR  'f ""'  ''■"'"  ""''  °""'  y''  ''^'y  His  own. 
which  He  designates  as  "Another"  Comforter-  the 

ditference  being  not  in  essential  nature,  but  in  the  fact 


'i 


-i-M 


'I   j,;m 


104    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

that  the  new  Presence  should  be,  not  a  visible  and 
external,  bat  an  indwelling  Presence.  This  Jesus  ex- 
plained wuuld  be  for  their  ad\a!itage,  "Nevertheless, 
I  tell  you  the  truth :  It  is  expedient  for  you  that  I  go 
away;  for  if  I  go  not  away,  the  Comforter  will  not 
come  unto  you;  but  if  I  go,  I  will  send  Him  unto  you  " 
(John  16:7).  God,  who  had  come  to  them  for  a 
little  while  in  finite  form,  was  to  abide  with  them 
forever  as  the  indwelling  Spirit — convicting,  regen- 
erating, inspiring,  and  sanctifying  them. 

When  we  come  to  deal  with  the  atonement,  the  com- 
pleting doctrine  of  the  Incarnation,  and  the  amplifying 
doctrine  of  the  Trinity,  what  has  here  been  said  will 
appear  more  meaningful. 

That  the  truth  unfolded  by  the  doctrine  of  God's 
triunity  is  misunderstood  shows  plainly  from  the  prev- 
alence of  a  loose  tri-thei.^m,  on  the  one  hand;  and  the 
fact  of  Unitarianism  on  the  other.  The  former  is,  I 
believe,  a  more  injurious  error,  and  the  latter  a  vastly 
more  antagonistic  power,  than  is  commonly  conceived. 
Both  errors,  it  will  be  noted,  are  based  upon  the  same 
misconceptions.  Neither  can  be  removed  until  the  doc- 
trine of  the  Trinity  shows  that  God  is  three  in  some 
sense  different  from,  and  subsidiary  to,  that  in  which 
He  is  one. 

Wherefore  if  in  our  worship  the  primacy  be  given 
to  Jesus,  as  seems  at  times  to  be  the  case,  our  thought 
is  less  than  complete,  and  breathes  not  the  ^pirit  which 
Jesus  Himself  inculcated.  Where  this  is  not  at  all 
intentional,  it  may  nevertheless  be  done.     What  we 


|fc.?M 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  105 

as  Trinitarians  do  not  think  of  stands  out  clearly  to 
those    who    feel    jealous    for   the    primacy    of    the 
Father.     It  was  the  Father  who  gave  the  Son;  and 
the  Son  s  whole  purpose  is  to  bring  us  to  the  Father; 
yet  much  Christian  worship  centres  chiefly  in  the  Son 
We  may  not  notice  this,  yet  should  we  not?    Merely 
for  the  sake  of  being  true,  ought  we  not  in  the  spirit 
of  the  Son  to  give  pre-eminence  to  the  Father?    If 
Christianity  is  to  win  the  worid  for  God,  then  it  is 
essential.    About  this  then  can  be  no  mistake.    He- 
brew and  Mohammedan,  the  subtle  thinking  Hindu 
and  the  intellectual  Jap,  all  hesitate  at  the  same  point. 
They  desire  to  worship  God,  but  from  our  loose  the- 
o  ogy  they  think  we  want  them  to  worship  three  Gods 
Nay,  from  some  of  our  unguarded  hymno'ogy  it  ap- 
pears to  them  that  we  put  Jesus  before  the  Father  in 
the  flow  of  our  feelings, 

^^  True,  St.  Paul  did  place  the  name  of  Tesus  above 
every  name  that  is  named,  not  only  in' this  worid. 
but  also  in  that  which  is  to  come  ''  (vide  Phil  2  •  m  i ) 
but  he  did  it  in  a  context  which  inculcates  thVmind 
which  was  also  in  Christ  Jesus,  who  humbled  Himself 
and  became  obedient  unto  death;   for  which  reason 
every  tongue  shall  confess  Him  "  to  the  ,dory  of  God 
the  l^ather  —a  plain  recognition  of  the  Father  s  pre- 
eminence.   In  another  place,  writes  the  Apostle  "  All 
things  are  yours  .    .    .  and  ye  are  Christ's,  and  Christ 
tsGods     (I  Cor.  3:23).    Also,  "  The  head  of  every 
man  is  Christ,  and  the  head  of  Christ  is  God  "  ( i  Cor 
11:3).    Again,  even  more  strongly.  "And  when  all 
things  have  been  subjected  to  Him  then  shall  the  Son 


tl 


io6    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

Himself  he  subjected  to  Him  .   .   .   That  God  mav 
be  all  in  all"  (i  Cor.  15 :  28). 

Until  Christian  prayer,  preaching,  and  hymnology 
clearly  gn^e  the  primacy  to  the  Father  our  theology 
will  not  be  true,  nor  the  winning  of  the  whole  world 
possible.  IVe  may  not,  as  others  do,  think  about  these 
thmgs;  yet  is  such  thoughtlessness  a  good  recom- 
mendation of  our  theology  ?  To  be  even  unconsciously 
tn-theistic  is  to  defeat  the  purpose  of  Christ,  who  came 
not  to  precede,  but  to  reveal  the  Father. 

Tri-theism,  be  it  once  but  perceived,  is  manifestly 
untrue,  because  poly-theistic.  Unitheism,  or  "  Theo- 
monism,"  abides,  for  there  is  but  one  God  Yet 
God's  manifoldness  possesses  a  native  and  inherent 
threeness.  If  this  truth  be  recognized,  express  it  how 
we  may,  then  there  is  ground  for  the  union  or  har- 
monizing  of  Unitarian  and  Trinitarian  views  of  God 
Reason  and  science  alike  are  satisfied;  the  way  is 
theologically  open  for  the  conquest  of  the  whole  race 


is'- 


VIII 
PROGRESSIVE  CREATION 

SCIENCE  everywhere  discovers  God;  and  ever>- 
where  finds  Him  busy.     "My  Father,"  said 
Jesus,  "worketh  hitherto,  and  I  work."     The 
universe,  once  supposed  to  be  static  and  completed,  is 
found  to  be  warm  in  the  process  of  construction. 
Nothing  is  at  rest.     So  far  as  man  can  plumb  the 
abysses  of  space,  or  "the  abysmal  depths  of  per- 
sonality," he  is  everywhere  confronted  with  the  cease- 
less activity  of  the  Creator.    If  we  turn  our  gaze  to- 
ward  celestial  spaces,  lo!  new  worlds  are  undergoing 
the  travail  pains  of  birth.     If  we  examine  earth's 
crusted  register,  her  stratified  oracles  reveal  a  steady 
advance  from  inorganic  to  organic  forms;  from  life 
to  ever  higher  types  of  life;  until  man  discovers  in 
himself  the  crown  of  creation. 

Little  scrutiny  however  serves  to  disclose  that  man 
has  not  yet  attained  his  final  development.  He  is  still 
under  the  fashioning  hand  of  his  Creator.  His  entire 
life  from  infancy  to  age  is  one  of  process— physical, 
mental,  moral,  spiritual.  He  never  becomes  a  finished 
product.  His  ideals  are  ever  before  him.  Always 
sensible  of  his  defects  and  failures,  ever  thinking  of 
something  better  that  he  might  become,  the  individual 

107 


io8    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

not  h,mself  to  have  attained,  but  presses  ever  forward 
Smnmg,  suffering,  deficient;  the  immaturity  of  the 
«mt  characterizes  the  social  order,  which  through  de- 
velopment  of  Us  membership  is  slowly  coming  to  fuller 

If  the  pressure  of  the  mass  moulds  the  units,  it  is 
nevertheless  units  that  make  the  mass.     Reciprocal 
action,  and  interaction,  constitute  the  very  essence  of 
persona    existence.     Is  not  society  an  aggregate  of 
men  and  women  in  whom  God  is  busy  with  His  ere- 
atiye  and  regenerative  spirit?    If  it  ever  attains  per- 
fection  It  can  only  be  by  God's  operation  through  its 
aspiring  units^  Here  is  the  anchorage  of  our  hope. 
By  as  many  bonds  as  there  are  capacities  in  human 
personality  the  race  is  held  under  the  formative  influ" 

evJr  ll       .'    !^u-  "^^'^  ''  ^''"  ^PP^^'-  ^°^^  he  can 
ever  get  out  of  his  Creator's  hands.     For  progress 

can  never  cease.    Eternal  life  means  life  eternally  pro- 
gressive;  an  unending  creation 

the^c?.'.'  'f  V  '^'ZT''  ""^'^'■^^^  P'-^^^^^'  h-«  altered 
creation.    This  pomt  cannot  be  made  too  clear;  it  is 

thelrio:/:  "'•    '"^^^^^'  ^'  ^  ^P->-^  -'ve;se  in 
the  grip  of  the  enemy.  ,t  shows  God  still  in  possession 

in  s^a te  tn""''  "°'  "'  '  '"*"^  ^"■^>''  "-  ^^  ^f-oned 
in  state  to  receive    Uc  homage  of  worshipful  throngs 

llTur'"':  '"^""" ''"''''''  ^'-^^  -^'-?n 

th.  "^  •^^^^^'^>•^  ^''-ng  in  man.  "It  is  God 
that  worketh  m  you  both  to  will  and  to  do  of  His 
good  pleasure."    Always  raising  men  from  their  old 


PROGRESSIVE  CREATION  109 

death  to  His  new  life.  God  and  His  universe   and 
every  good  intelligence  in  it.  are  busy.     "  Wi'st  ye 

Sneir'.^""' "'''' '  "^"^^  ^  ^^"'  ^y  ^^th--: 

With  progressive  creation  for  our  clue,  a  new  dawn 
arises  upon  the  race  and  its  theology.  Just  as  tie 
change  fro.  Ptolemaic  to  Copemican^'astronlrsim! 

a  taticT  '  r"^  °'  ''^  '"^^"^'  ^°  ^^^  change'from 
a  static  t.  a  developing  universe  modifies  our  view  of 
trt)d.  and  consequently  of  theology. 

Before  New  Testament  times  creation  and  redemp- 
tion were  conceived  as  separate  works  bearing  to  one 
another  no  mutual  relationship.     Creation  was  re! 

ITLT'^  '•estorat.on  being  introduced  afterwani  as 
an  addendum  to  the  Divine  purpose;  making  unex- 
pected  demands  upon  God  and  being  met  by  expedi- 
ents  not  considered  as  in  any  way  connected  wUror 
incidental  to  the  production  of  personality 

To  St.  Paul  the  world  owes  its  most  dramatic  and 
perhaps  most  perfect  expression  of  evolution.  With- 
out  ample  exploration  or  wide  generalizations,  but  by 
a  sheer  flight  of  inspiration,  the  Apostle  p  reeved 
the  whole  creation  "  engaged  in  a  productive  process 
wfth  tr^-r^'^"'';'^  ^'^*  ''  ^""^-^  ^-*h  new  lit 

wa  L  h'","'      u!""'  '""'^  '^^  "^''^^  ^^^  -nation 
>s  waiting  he  describes  as  "the  manifestation  of  the 

sons  of  God."     To  the  Romans  he  writes  (8   xq) 

The  earnest  expectation  of  the  creation  waiteth  for 

the  manifestation  of  the  sons  of  God."    Further  on 

he  adds  to  the  idea  of  "  waiting  "  that  of  "  working  " 


■■■•  I  . 


no    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 
and  sees  "all  things"   (we  should  say  all  forces) 
so.  but  as  he  expresses  ,t,  "  we  knc.v  that  the  whole 
r^'°thrr\T'  '^''"'^^'  •"  P^'"  ^^^^^'^^  -til 

^iZ:^::^  "^  ^° ''-  p^"^"^  — •  -  its 

her^StS'^"'  '"?•""'":  °'  ^"'^'"P^'^"'  -hich  is 
here  St.  Paul  s  immediate  theme,  deflect  attention  from 

the  major  process.     In  the  light  of  later  knowledge 

we  see  that  God's  Spirit  flashed  upon  the  ages  a  lighl 

carrymg  mto  the  still  distant  future.    For  the  process 

IS  no  yet  completed,  man's  redemption  being  but  con- 

nbutory  to  the  main  purpose  whereunto  God  enJrs^ 

the  co-operation  of  all  forces  in  the  travail  pains  of 

creative  labour.    "  For  whom  He  foreknew.  He  also 

foreordamed  to  be  conformed  to  the  imag^  of  Hil 

With  the  Scripture  science  accords;  creation  and  re- 
demption being  both  recognized.    Creation  is  regarded 
as  primary,  and  still  in  progress,  while  redemption  is 
auxiliary  to  the  larger  movement.    The  creative  in- 
c  udes  of  necessity  a  supplement^      healing  and  re- 
storing power;  since,  as  wc  know,  life  may  be  injured 
or  perverted,  curing  and  redemption  are  necessary. 
This  elemental  fact,  however,  was  neither  unforeseen 
nor  unprovided  for.    No  mistake  nor  sin  of  man  did 
or  c.a  wreck  the  universe  nor  defeat  God.    Man's  fall 
must  be  regarded  as  an  interruption,  necessitating  cor- 
rection  and  salvation,  but  in  order  to  see  God  truly 
and  to  understand  His  progressive  universe  we  must 
perceive  the  positive  and  greater  work  as  primary  and 


Ill 


PROGRESSIVE  CREATION 

r".h  ,s  a  matter  of  corr«t  proportions.    But  aS 
U.e  fundamental  principles  there  must  be  no  mis'^" 

P^rcetXid  nftmrif  tt"  ■"""  """    ^^ 
system  mncf  kIJ  *°  *"^"'"«  ^"ccess.    Our 

^CcX^an'Ir^oreir-™---". 

Let  ,t  be  noted  then,  that  because  until  recently  th. 

obedient  childrenTa  ~T  """f  "°'  "  <«=- 

criminal,  or  "an  alutr«r'    r^n'    "'  """^  ''^ 
apostate  race.      God  was,  according 


112   THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFl- 

to  this  theory,  the  only  Father  in  the  universe  who 
held  no  normal  relation  to  His  children.  Their  sin, 
in  some  way,  had  cancelled  that  relationship.  They 
were  no  longer  children,  but  outlaws.  If  as  outcasts 
they  were  ever  to  become  children  again,  it  was  through 
a  judicial  system  which  would  chan^'e  a  criminal  into 
a  child  of  gr^ce.  And  to  the  end  God  was  Father  to 
the  redeemed  alone. 

At  this  point,  therefore,  a  scientific  classification 
must  leave  the  old  lines  and  strike  into  new  paths. 
Instead  of  viewing  the  race  as  outcasts  from  God 
(whose  responsibility  toward  them  has  been  cancelled 
by  their  transgression)  we  shall  not  understand  Him, 
unless  we  perceive  that  we  are  dwelling  in  the  place 
assigned  us  by  God,  and  that  He  is  still  cherishing 
the  life  which  He  gave  us.  In  other  words,  our  the- 
ology must  make  due  recognition  of  God's  normal  and 
permanent  relationship  to  man.  For  the  being  whom 
He  is  making  is  still  under  process  of  creation.  The 
thing  that  never  existed  is  yet  to  be.  God  is  not 
through  with  His  work  but  is  still  busy  producing 
beings  destined  to  become  (far  beyond  all  possible 
revelation)  "  the  sons  of  God." 

But  did  not  man  sin?  Yes.  "All  have  sinned," 
yet  that  fact  still  leaves  the  sinner  his  Father's  child. 
The  child's  disobedience  cannot  un-Father  God.  Nor 
does  it  remove  the  sinner  from  the  universe  which  is 
his  Father's  dwelling  place.  A  child's  transgression 
should  not  annul  the  father's  interest,  nor  cancel  his 
parental  responsibility.  If  on  the  human  plane  a  child's 
misdoing  increases  both  parental  interest  and  responsi- 


PROGRESSIVE  CREATION 


Not  by  hi,  own  „TdL,l     1  f,'^*"'^'  "■"■"■''"• 

of  existence     wC,  ^     ^'  '■'""  "*"•  ">«  '«"'<'"> 
yi«.c.     witftou(  consu  tation  it  wac  i,;^ 

no.  on,  ^f-  p^^;  c«t :  .i^  a^r;  r- 

P>«e  in-pflXr,  e  fhrSeTfle  "°""'  "^  "> 
savage  or  a  child  m.v;,*         ,  ^"®  universe.    A 

a  defeatedUd ^X'T  ■"  '"  '"'^''~'-  <"  "" 
but  once  .he  l^rTZ^^:";:^^^  T'""'' 
deSTee  of  intdlieence  thL  Z    """""  '»  »  "rtain 

™n  .o  find  hiS'btltt"  Tf  "•"■    ''"^ 
would  be  to  discover  ih,,l  *  '*''"'«'  ''"V 

had  vanished.  TUt     'relHrr"!: '"■'  ^"-"^ 
Otherwhere  for  God  ^^  """^^  seek 

»fa„Ti:'ario^;r«'--'3redisoh.di. 
bave  conmenccd  i^  wi.h'LT  ""T""""'  «»' 
-d  -ore  ren,o.e  ances^  A  chM^  l'  ""'^  "'"«' 
held  personally  resDon^ihirf^u.'  h"""".  is  not 

-  for  car^.yr"  fnt  irev'Tuf  ^sT  "r"™"^' 
-ponsihie  .erel,  for  his  0^^:^^  "1^^^ 


J 


ft. 


M 


114   THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

but  the  All-Father,  in  justice  as  well  as  compassion, 
v.orks  divinely  to  eradicate  the  child's  disease,  and 
to  develop  its  life.  Redemption  and  restoration  are 
essential,  for  unfortunately  every  member  of  the 
household  has  to  pass  through  the  sick  room.  But  if 
we  are  to  be  true  to  God  and  to  ourselves,  we  must 
not  regard  the  universe  as  merely  a  hospital.  Su- 
premely it  is  the  field  of  a  creative  process,  the  Home 
and  operative  sphere  of  the  Creator. 

Sin  and  its  recover^-,  sickness  and  its  cure  hold  a 
large  place  in  life's  economy,  and  must  occupy  much 
attention;  yet  is  sickness  incidental,  and  its  cure  but 
auxiliary  to  life's  progress.  To  allow  the  incidental  and 
auxiliary  to  obscure  for  us  the  primary  work  of  God 
is  to  misunderstand  the  whole  theological  problem, 
as  well  as  the  whole  cosmic  and  evolutionary  process. 
It  ignores  the  normal,  which  is  lost  sight  of  in  the 
abnormal.  Instead  of  seeing  that  "  the  earth  is  the 
Lord's  "  and  its  people  His  possession,  it  makes  the 
whole  a  fief  of  Satan,  and  regards  the  race,  not  as 
rudimentary  but  ruined.  Man  and  nature  are  not  seen 
to  hold  a  worthy  relationship  to  their  Creator;  rather 
is  the  earth  viewed  as  a  scene  of  disaster,  while  an 
angry  God  in  the  midst  of  the  wreckage  is  intent 
merely  on  rescuing  victims  from  the  catastrophe. 

Wherefore  be  it  our  joy  to  acknowledge  that  su- 
premely God's  work  is  productive.  It  has  been  and  is 
creative,  educative,  developmental,  and  perfecting;  al- 
beit, sin's  intrusion  necessitated,  secondarily,  a  cor- 
rective, curative,  and  redemptive  process. 


I1:  *■! 


I:     h 


IX 

MANS  PART  IN  GOD'S  PURPOSE 

DURING  earlier  stages  of  the  creative  proeess 
God  worlced  with  orderly  and  obedie„rb„ 
wholly  unconscious  forces     Wk.     u 
man  became  a  "livinir  soni  "r?-  •,  ^°^'^" 

responsibility   of  S«i   ^«"^"' ."P"  hin,  the 

Maker  in  perfecting  .t';"olrT'°"  ""'  "'^ 
fore  in  the  Divine  lro:^ZT  u  "'  ^"^  *''"'■ 
with  God.  P^g^amme  ,s  that  of  a  co-worker 

Trite  as  the  expression  raav  snnnH   ;,, 
significance   deserve    in   ,™^.^°"™'  "s  scope  and 
progress,  very    aS'ul  1  '«■"    °'   ^^'-'ionary 

apr^essof  j'evefol  rfr,::^r'''°"-     ^™'"''™  '' 
;'  >«...«,■   -ryre^i^^Tr  :r™:t"r*" 

under  vortex  and '^vU  tStrs  V  r'"' 
o'  the  heat  inhihltin„  ,1.     •    ,  '  '"^  intensity 

When,  as  in  he  c*„f  ?'.'""  ""^I  P'<"^«^" 
fieiently,  the  prjss  i^,  °"  ^'*'  "  ^^  ^°°M  suf- 
as  well  A.  a  atr  oe^'?'  ?""""'  '""  "^«="«"= 
prepared  for  V Tfe  '  T  '"  "'  ''"''""  ^ad  been 

'et'he  pr  cu  so    of  earr«''  '™'^  '"  '°™  «  «-'■ 
•he  vegetable  Tn,r         V      "  ""^  '""^-    Wi'hin 

euisheln^^Lrr-r^l^^^^rb:-™^  "^  "'=""■ 

ng  grades  of  being,  representing 


i~  1 1 1': 


116  THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

clearly  defined  developmental  stages,  which  need  not 
be  so  much  as  enumerated.    When,  however  irGod^ 

sonahty,  the  process  took  on  an  entirely  new  phase 
indu5.tnaJ,  educaliunal,  and  ethical  influences   and  t^ 

parrriitt^"^^  '■"  '"^"'^  -^--  Siretm! 

IxZZXu         ■"""-'  c<,.rrc.po,.dent  ti.creto.     For 
example,  the  rcg]v,ter  of  mouiory  ,s  hniitcd-  h.if  f    u 
cerebral  convolutions  man  adds\o Xpiig    „d  m 
erature,  so  extending  the  range  of  memoo^'  His  power" 

and T"  ''  """"'  '"^  ^°  ^'^  'y-  he  Tdds  telescope 

tende^TTr    ^"  '"""^  '^  ^'^^  mechanical  "ex! 

tended  by  telegraphy  and  telephony;  and  his  sen  e  of 

emperature  by  the  thermometer  and  bolomte      Ac 

:-- r-  .  comesl:re::y"s^a-„t'tot 
of  mtelhgence  of  taste  or  spirituality  is  reflected  in  h"s 
divme  countenance  and  deportment 

Superlatively  at  this  stage  ir.ind  becomes  the  organ 
of  God.  So  significantly  is  this  true  that,  by  lUeratfre 
or  mvention,  by  discovery  or  leadersht  7  !,']'^ 

cial,  educational,  and  spiritual,  are  introduced 


MAN'S  PART  IN  GOD'S  PURPOSE     117 
To  follow  the  network  of  trans-organic  evolution 
s  here  unnecessary;  an  illustration  or  two  will  suffi-e 
to  md,cate  the  nature  of  its  multifarious  operation 

s^  „cr  t'  "  ""'■^™"'  '"'•'"'■™  -  °-  ««'  in- 
to mm,  kMh  "''™,'-':-'"'^  =■'"'  h^^  Mped  enormously 
to  mot,M  ,be  cM,c!,hons  of  human  existence  and  to 
produce  a  ,eucr  ,rade  uf  lu„„anity.    To  steam,  chiefly! 
we  oivc  u,.  scnsuive  mrtuences  which  knit  all  con- 
nts  and   nations  together  i„  neighbourly  Z- 
ZZy,    1\      "^^^  "  ^f^"^""  international  law 
Us  iml;t     T  "'  '"'  "°  ^^"■^'  ™«'^  -n  withstand 
Itl™"^  , ;,.    '  'V°°'  f°™"^  P^S"'^  "Pon  all  the 
na  .ons  of  the  earth  ?    Without  it  we  should  never  have 
vHnessed  the  "  phenomenon  "  of  modem  Japan  or  the 
awakenmg  '■  of  China.    To  steam  more  th'a n  ,0  any 

aid  the.!      """  *'  °"'  '"=  ="S°--  of  the  sea 
and  the  ceaseless  migrations  of  the  peoples.    Travel 
l.ke  a  ferment,  is  working  its  unobtrusive  miracTe  in 
mod,fymg  beliefs  and  changing  customs  in  everytnd 
bn„as,„g  „des  of  emigration  fron,  the  Old  Worid  are 

Ind  tZl  f  f  ■  '"''  ^"  "'""  ''^^nds  in  Canada 
and  the  Antipodes.  Add  to  this  the  fact  that  the 
^team  eng,„e  as  a  mechanism,  is  parem  of  a  coumless 
progeny  of  mven.ions  for  the  application  of  p^wer 
and  we  may  see  how  like  a  world-mamling  mLc  U 
ha  rans  o^ed  the  earth,  lifting  ,he  burfen  ofth 
oiler,  and  become  a  civilizing  force  as  significant  for 

meXslf  """■"™'  ''  ""  ''  ■•"■'-^'  -^  — 
Since  the  power  of  the  locomotive,  like  that  of 


fj 


"8  THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 
olrZst;:StV-'-..  and  a  thousand 

at  a  m,i,,psef,,|  factor  f„  .t  .  '  """^  s''™"'! 'nstance 
"ce.  w'ho  can  est  ^te, hi  '""^'"""'"•-  "«  the 
preaching  of  the"""!^,  "w"'-  ■""-"«  ^  the 
we  to  confine  our  thiueh    ,,     "  '"™''-     ^ere 

=«"  .0  conceive  th  raS  If  r'*"'"  *,"f ''°"=  "'""^^ 
would  haffle  an  underSin!  '  mL""  ""^  ''"""^^ 
stands  for  the  sub,in,est  Mherat  3177  m"^"" 
■merest  of  humanity  exhibiljh  ,!"'"'  '"  ">' 
ages.     How  often  Lsth^  "  ""  ^""^'^  »'  ">' 

trader!    How  often  h/.  h      ™.''^'°""y  P^eded  the 
-fenceless  wrnll  "„  !,'',"'''«^''=''  "'^  'fader's  con- 

ary  has  been  nuTe  tea Ter  ?  T"'"'    ^""^  ^'^^'°"- 
well  as  rehgious  nrl™        ,         '"""''""g  factor  as 
tribes.     He    has  "^Z^T""  """'^  '""•'«™us 
sprinkled  aUnonChr'r''    """     ''"^''«"'    "and 
schools,  and  cX«s    M  '"  """'*^  '''"'  ''"spitals, 
sacred  Scriptut^  H^To'^  J-e  translated  the' 
and  made  the  Bible  the  precursor  1'^  '"''^^'''■ 
wo.id-.  best  literature     Th?T     , '"""'"  ^""l  "■= 

hasd,.4™  "  ,,°  ,"""'  responsibility,  viz.,  that  God 

process.  ^    ,1™'   :Z::T""""  ^'-  "■  ""=  "eati,. 

nite,  and  swift  Cus"'''"'  '"'^  '"■■™  ''-''«,  defi- 

■  ^"""*  "an,  havmg  discovered  a  few 


MAN'S  PART  IN  GOD'S  PURPOSE  119 
of  nature's  laws,  has  been  more  intelligently  "  vvorkiri^ 
together  w,th  God."  But  he  is  daify  becom  nfaf 
quamted  with  niethods  whereby  he  can  doT;! 
effectually.  No  longer  is  God' work  ngtih^rd" 
unconscious  forces  toward  " 

"  Thai  one  far  off  divine  event 

To  which  the  whoie  creation  moves," 

but  consciously  now.  man  is  joi„i„.  h„„,,_,  „.j,^  ,|^ 
Ruler  of  ,c  universe  an,,  .„,,,.,„„„,    ,„  ,„^.  J^^ 

hul:!.;'''''^"'''''''""^="^--'''-'U-;adeof 

Man-s  snbiugation  of  himself  is  a  task  as  yet  lam- 
entably ,r,co„,plete;  but  ,.o  ripening  of  ,he  world  T„ 
.melhgence  and  in  morals,  with  its  enforced  o^- 
^on  for  commercial  and  social  ends,  is  presstag  the 
^well  ^r^T'™^  ''"''  '"  "•'""g  i«s  compufsion 
Sr  p^pr;'  "'  ""■""■  '°  '"'  '"«-"-«  of  'he 

a:"::he'dtin%rritT^^^^^^^^ 
^\:t  "r "' '  ™-' -"">io  ir 

«  deTsco"      iftlf "'™  "'  •''  O'^P-  ™^-"8  and 
Not,  Jiowever.  until  mankind  had  discovered  what 


-o    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 
God  ,s  doing,  and  learned  the  laws  of  Hi,        ^• 
was  the  steady  advance  of  thl  ^^orkmg. 

God's  forces  and  lawTl  ""'"'"'''"  discovered. 

thing  progre^s^e  171^7:1:2^'  ''  ''''  ^"^' 
nient  and  redemption     C^  ''  ^""''^^  P""'^^. 

in.  earth's  conflTfro^^roSf  t^^  ^^^^^^- 
discerned  as  working  tt,r„  u  .""'■  H«  was  not 
tes  was  He  7hJu^hf  o^T  «s  "order."  Much 
higher  ends.    Pro^e L  i!    ??""«  "•^''S''  '*  '<> 

movement    percZ"™   T  tT'  °'/  '"'  °"'^ 
tion.  ^    '"    the    opposite    direc- 

Jed    TLTcrelrr".?*'"^  ^'^""^  -  -- 

creative   acH^riX^T.^lt'*  tt  T  "'^ 
Widest,  and  hip-hp«f  ,r«^      i-     .^^^^^^^ents    the   latest, 

their  value  toexpS?^;''™!  ""  »■'  P°=«==,  but 
at  first  as  hypoSser  hlv  '  r""""^-    ^■'°P'='I 

funda.entaf^r^J^nVrrere'^Srr''^'^^"^ 
what  has  been,  and  what  is?  Better  stS  thf  ?''" 
what  s  to  be     Th^^  ,,.  .  '  '™y  indicate 

yesent  fots  rt'rrn^^g 'torarTtf' ■'°"^'. ''■'^ 

of  God.     Re,„i,i.e  to  corr^t^htakte   r""""'' 

necessary  to  defend  us  from  errorl"  ,n^'  ^    '  "'  "' 

yet  undiscovered  truth  li«  ,     •!         °  ""^"^"^  "h'™ 

A  new  ,-H.,  awaitmg  exploration. 

;ng.i..it,ea:eiT;iirc'rrn7°'^- 

Nay,  It  is  more;  it  i,.  G,.,r.  „,„.,  ^"Zt  "' 

..n  a  crowd,  in  society;  a  creatne  ,  vchi»  tr^  \T' 
"K  new  order  and  beauty  „„t  of  chaoti  con/Son""^' 


121 


MAN'S  PART  IN  GODS  PURPOSE 

will  be  able  to  believe  ^'  '™""e  "S^ 

II         .       "^'"^'"prnent.     ihe  Hebrews  realir*»ri  fi,^* 
all  people  „„s,  become  Mono.heis.ic.    The  G  leS  Der 
ce.yed  the  pa.h  all  .hinking  beings  mus.  fn  .„ 
P  ,  osophy.    The  Propbe.s  o'i  Ur^LZV^IZ:: 

were  atke  r   b""'"'  ''"'''°™  '^'°"  '"^  ^^P  = 

has  so  opened  .hrdX  o    r  XoV^.,!  f  "'"" 
exhibit  through  law.  u^A       '^^'^V.^*'^"  that  we  can 

.He,rc„„„,rtw:,kt/'""""''°"  """  '"-'» 
and'i.^"'-''""  "  '''"'"'"»  ""■  '^""••s=  ■■'  history 

-t::st,:=^:j;:re:^»-:  Obvious. 

that  man's  rrt,^;.!.'''''^'"^"''^  i'  was  believed 

de.ermini;X"detroft  S^he  ''"°'^'  ='"'' 
mankind  was  far  greater  ttenr",.       ^'°"*^  "' 

-With  present  r„^iro"?h^  LA-  « 


m 


■J 


122    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 
vastly  more  to  do  than  God.     For  according  to  th 
o  d  theoIo.rry.  just  as  ti.e  populous  train  of  our  virgi 
planet  was  leaving  the  home  station.  Adam,  all  un 
consnous  cf  what  would  happen,  switched  tl,e  tra 

ace   '"7"^'  "'\.?'  ''■''  «--'  ^he  whole  huma, 

race  has  !>ccn  whnl.ng  to  destruction.     God's  helo 

lessness  m  th:-  siruat.on  w...  seen  in  the  fact  fhat  H. 

was  unable  to  get  the  train  back  to  PJis  own  line 

NeUher  CUM  Uc  stop  i,      Hcnc  as  the  best  th  ng 

to  be  done  m  the  pathetic  circu.nstanccs.  He  riecided 

on  certain  conc'itions.  to  sa^o  so,r.  of  the  passen^^ers' 

but  the  tra,n  is  still  .„  the  uron,.  track,  aid  hXg 

to  etern.1  tragedy.    Clearly  then,  Adam  had  a  greate^ 

par.  an  shapmg  man's  destiny  than  the  Creator     God 

made  a  good  world,  but  it  is  cursed;  a  good  race,  but 

No  such  crude  statement  perhaps  quite  justly  repre- 
sents any  modern  person's  belief.    All  we  desire  here 

nrnhl  '\uT^  'T  '^'  '"'"^"^^^^  ''^^t  attainable  a 
problem  that  can  be  solved  onlv  when  its  nature  is 
clearly  seen.  It  is  of  most  fundamental  importance 
to  a  true  grasp  of  theology  to  conceive  the  human  will 
"1  Its  proper  relationship  to  Him  who  is  working  on 
and  m.  and  through  man  His  holy  purpose  ' 

To  a  finite  atom,  God  has  lent  a  portion  of  His 
own  hfe  (mcluding  of  course  a  particle  of  His  will- 
power), and  we  are  now  about  to  witness  the  clash 
between  the  finite  will  and  its  Parent  will.  Since 
moreover,  our  interest  and  sympathies  rest  in  the  suc^ 
cess  of  the  Presiding  will  we  may  comfort  our  hearts 


[FE 

ig  to  the 
ur  virgin 
1.  all  un- 
the  train 
e  human 
il's  help- 

^hat  He 
wn  line. 
'St  thing 
decided, 
isen;(ers, 
heading 

greater 
r.  God 
ace,  but 
purpose 


MAN'S  PART  IN  GOD'S  PURPOSE     .aj 
seance  deserves  a;":„.io°"  Tt/fii^^ctf  '^'■""■ 
con"MerL"'T  '""!  '"  '^"'°'y-  "'^  ">»='  further 


i        ii.i 


ii'i 


■1 


ESSENTIAL  RELATIONSHIP  BETWEEN  GOD 
AND  MAN 

CENTRAL  in  personality  stands  the  will.    What 

wielUe;lr  .y^H^e^nlrtd  o"°"  "  ^°"''°' 
These  and  alliedU!^*;^  t^Kt' 
cessitate  an  exammat  on  of  the  ba.5al  r^u*-      u-       ? 

the  1  ffH/-    .  T""''''°"  '^'^^^^  *h^  Creator  and 
the  hfe  He  ,s  fashioning  to  His  likeness. 

WHAT  THE  RELATION   IS 

anJ"nr'  f ''  P^"'"'  *^^  '"^'«*'°"  '^  ''^"-'-  "M  Vital 
and  of  such  a  nature  as  to  be  crcafi-^  in  •.    •  ' 

When  nn-m^i    ,      t  .     <^rcati,e  in  its  iniluence. 

for^n  •  .^^  ''"^'^  ^^^^  '^  '■«  spiritually  trans- 

forming,  mspinng.  empowering.  When  interr«nf?H 
by  .n  It  is  still  such  that  upon  if  dep^rG  rmra^s 
of  moving  upon  the  sinner  to  his  conviction  and  re 
generation-results  which  could  be  effec  ed  bv  no  foT 
e'gn  or  external  power.  As  St.  S  elpi'essedT 
quoting  one  of  the  Greek  poets.  "  I„  Him  we  "e  ^nd 
r    ve  and  have  our  being."    The  relationship,  ther"" 

"4 


RELATIONSHIP  OF  GOD  AND  MAN  uj 
fore.  «  conslituted  by  a  continuity  of  being-  the  crea- 
lure  shanng  the  essential  nature  of  his  Source  InH 
displaying  the  nature  of  the  Iniini.e,  tho""  m;4l 
n.an  by  .mpa„i„g  ,„  hin,  .ore  and  „„re  of  HUo  n' 
life.  In  the  Immanence  of  God  we  discover  an  « 
panatton  of  His  mysterious  spiritual  authority   and 

louZr'-  "T"""''=  '^P'""--  '»"'  0    which 
would  otherwise  be  impossible.    Therefore 

THE  HELATION  Is  NOT  EXTERNAL 

srrrjSpe:r.tr-'>-"-'H"s 

.    (2)  God  IS  not  external  to  finite  spirits  as  oni^  «.« 

-nrb:'r:ia:rru """"  '-^-^  ™""^- 

toanothVr     TWs^?r.".,™'  '"<""''''"'  «  «'»'=<! 

-.^Ltprre:;^trs=-::-t; 

rel^Jon  ,s  often  represented  as  friendshin  X,>h  rl 

-%:;r."rLieSrt3 -^ 

eluded  from  the  consciousness  r,f  another     N. ,  I 

Su'nr^:.'  ''■"'^'"™  '=  "^'^"'  ""^-  H  h^,;- 

mstant  ,-,,:.       ,.j.  over  us.    Never  absent.  His  life  is 


I  il 


1'! 


ii  '< 


%  I'.' 


"*   ^^  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

science  every  man  .r  ,.,      "  '-^™«^'™«'ess  and  c.,n- 

CoU.    T„e  ^hTe tn  n":  '^^T'  r'"'  "'"■ 
Cut  if  fri.n.I.h.-.  "*^'^  ^"^^  spir  tual. 

-re,/„tsn::H:C:fruTr 

i'^;  while  a  ,r„e  .htolog;  ^    2  ''JJ  «  '"'""a'- 
as  Iramanem     Sri,„™        ™'l'"r«  Ood  to  be  viewed 

'-S.    However  'difficiH  tt  1 1  ea™  ?:' H^'f 
SO  unique  a  truth  ,.r  ♦  •  ^  "  ^°  think 

cise..  ii  .he  .C'oTo'  ;:r:„'j  :i=='^'^'  ^«  '"■•'  P- 

theology.  ^  '  ^"'^  '^^  ^'"^  9«a  «oi,  of 

Jm:t  m";?  '■^— '-^«Ping  Cod,"  and 
With  Noah/ArlrS  ST  "f  ''"'"■'-^' 
were  made  and  signs  appo  nM  ■  whil  T  V°™'"''" 
or  covenants  of  B=n„-  "'™' *•"«  the  Sacraments 
s.i".  "oJ::'^:^1,^^^S.,^  are 
spiritual  grace"     BroprMv         ?•  "  '"'^^''^  ^"d 

between  Sod  and  „,?  -^  '^'''''"^'  '^^  relationship 

Christian  theoL,Tsa"..r"°"^'  "^^^^^"^^^  '" 
"covenant  of  works''  h-  "'   relation";    the 

nant  of  grace  "Pr'-      ?^  '""""^^  ''^  ^^^^  "<^ove- 


RELATIONSHIP  OF  CX)D  AND  MAN    ,.7 

r  ,,    ""/-""«^"'  "'"^l.  and  stood  as  a  bacteround 
ilftrj'^V"'"'"""'  "'^""-y  into  tfaTm' 

Sav'onr?^  '""    """"^    "»    '"I"    of    our 

Chri"      '  '""''  '="''  """  ""™»  his  a,leg,an«  to 

wF,Tr'."""u  "".<'''«"'«  "hy  a  covenant  has  worth- 
wha  ,.  ,3  that  g,ves  it  value.    Covenants  stand  Ztt 

nants  are  but  the  signs  of  value 

;;f"^e::f;f;i:tezr.=;-s 


w 


.=8  THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 
cholopcal.  and  inhi-rent  nhVom  h„,  .„  ,a  -, 
derstand  promises  and  pledLs   i.  ^  ''"'^  ' 

.heol„g,cal  relations  we,.  'S ^s 'ed  ™       ""'  " 
bu,  in  s.condar,  and  pictorial's     °'"  ""'"'" 

isl,  worsh  p     A^  he iSr   "'  '."'""^  °^  '^^«'' 

conceptions'arofe  .here  Mowr;"'"'  '""  ^^  «''■•' 
evolution  of  more  a^7  '°>'°«'^<i<n  normal  order  tl 

and  ritualistic Trm3  JnT.-l.lr''  '"'''■    ^™^" 
spiritual  and  ethical  rel»!^^       ,  ™'  ^"I«rseded  b 

logical  figures  ^l;t™he  ■'""^r^«•"^«'  Wo 
God,  He  taught  is  F«w  "'' J.'^'""^'  relationship 
one  with  Him  ;  n!^"*  '  Z,"  *'"""•  "-efon 
%"re  of  naturdbTrth  bv  ,h     ''""'  "^"'""ded  ,h, 

W«h.    Nicodeml'mtht^^  ^„S2,d°  it^  ^''''""=" 

any  man  be  able  to  express  its  f,!  '.  ""^  ™^ 

Of  the  relation  is  spiritua      "e"  "?  ^"        "''""'^ 

of  the  Spirit  he  canlT        f^   '^'  ^  ""'"  "«  ^om 

."That  1.uXTZ\Z^  •  "flfh V'  ^«'-" 

■s  bom  of  the  spirit,  is  Zrit"    r         '  ""'  "'"''='> 

Jesus  sets  forth  I  Cat"  e  ofthHe,:;     'r"' 

a  commun  ty  of  life  „-  „,„    ,  .   ,     ™ationship  as 

■•"  "y  Father,  and  ye  in  me  f  ;"'"^"'"«-  "  ^  »"■ 
of  this  spiritual  immal" n/'  J^  '"  ''°""  ^«^«» 
God  is  not  a  senarTT  "'^P'''^  «„  operate. 
Life  of  our  Hfe  moir™""""""^  '"  "»•  "»"  *e 
both  to  will  and  To  dTfo  Hir"*^:  T'  "°*"8  in  u, 

is  related  to  another     a  "'•""'  '™'""'  "-'"S 

-Id  deserve  n^Lsfde^ar t^;  ^  fl^i 


RELATIONSHIP  OF  GOD  AND  MAN   ,., 

ployed  .0  i,L:.e  variotLir^v'""  '^""'^  - 
b"-ee„  Cod  and  man  a"e    "  li"  ""'  '""""•^« 
exciting  attention  to  associ  f,',       .    '""i  "  "'  *'"'°'" 
<«  di^llowed  in  order  o  at-  T"*'  *"'*  ""« 
--i.y  .hey  are  intended    o    erC',;'  "'/r^P'"'-' 
the  one-ness  of  beinr.   v.,     ,..  ""''•    ^or  instance, 
the  finite  and  the    „fi    ,  "'  *»P^°P<"-«on,  o 

relation  of  a  slfc  to  2  ""''  ^  '""'""''  "^"■^ 
-  bay  to  the  ocean     I'L    "'  '  """^^  '°  '"^  «a,  or 
figures,  unless  expresslv  IT?' /''  ^^'"»'"^'  ^"* 
scionsly  misleadin rr„H  ^    t"''  '"'^''■•porate  uncon- 
the  fuifda™e„.aftmth       """"'""  ~"«P"ons;  for 
«  the  element^^'fS  rtXrt'  T  °"™  ■'^°'«'' 
worth,  depend  upon  tf'fr^  dXof  The  ^iif  r"""' 
the  motive  that  makes  the  deed-Tvn  i    '  "  ""' 

•>«3  or  reveahng  the  vlrfnerrr'"^ ''"' "'"'''''- 
»Park;  a  wave;  a  bay  is !?„  ^^""-     ^"^  * 

■■elation  to  the  parew  l^dv  t7  T""""'"'  '°^  ''' 
nificance  of  morality  ,„rr  "  ^''aracteristic  sig. 
of  -'f-OnenTatroX:,::^^™  -  «.e  freedo^ 
tude  toward  God  cLIT,;  '^  '^''°°*«  '"  atti- 
the  realm  of  morar^i^d  s '  "' i^""  """  "=  ""'  of 
words,  Pan.heisr:l„:  ^.r  Xud'^^'--     I"  other 

In>man?nce  o    Ld  Lu"  beT"-"  '^""^  °'  '"' 

wh.ch  Will  no,  .ncoCtr  h  \  ;:r  ;r-'°^ 

needs  most  carefully  to  exclude      A  u      "^'^ 

must  necessarily  be  exnre«rH  ■        ^""  ^'''°'°Sy 

■y  oe  expressed  m  spiritual  terms.    Fig. 


'•J^i^ 


130    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 
ures  can  only  be  helpful  where  their  misleading  fea 
tures  are  indicated  with  sufficient  clearness  to  keep  th, 
supreme  truth  in  view. 

But  was  not  the  original  relationship  between  Goc 
and  man  broken  by  sin?  It  was  interrupted,  no, 
broken.  Sm  allc.  one's  relationshi],  to  God  but  doe« 
not  break  ,t.  Conscience  is  one  proof  of  this  fact- 
restoration  another.  No  one,  by  sin.  nor  in  any  othe; 
way.  can  abscond  from  the  universe  or  escape  the  con- 
tact of  God.  But  though  he  cannot  extricate  himself 
from  he  context  of  universal  forces,  he  car,  determine 

the  w,ll.    Here  sm  anses.    Here  rests  the  significance 

of  personally.     Unity  of  nature,  and  divergence  of 

wd     account  both  for  religion  and  the  impfdimems 

o  .ts  perfection.    In  the  freedon.  of  the  wilHs  found 

heism  (whatever  accent  we  put  on  the  word)  is  but 
the  name  for  a  haze  enshrouding  the  nature  of  the 
will  and  Its  operation  in  the  conflict  of  wills 

Approaching  the  problem  of  sin,  and  the  measure  of 
Its  results,  we  must  explore  the  nature  of  the  control 
wielded  by  the  Originating  Will  over  the  will  of  His 
wayward  and  obstructive  children.  This  we  shall  now 
attempt  to  do. 


XI 

HUMAN  OBSTRUCTION  TO  GOD'S  PURPOSE 

MAN'S  obstruction  to  God's  pu.pose  is  of  two 
quite  radically  different  types^istinguished 
by  the  presence,  or  the  absence,  of  evil  in- 

in"nl  ^"t'^P? '^  ^'^''^"'  ^"d  positive,  and  therefore 
smfuL  The  other  more  or  less  unconscious  and  pas- 
sive   due  not  to  evil  motive,  but  to  heredity,  imma- 

un ty,  igtiorance.  or  inertia,  and  therefore  not  ac- 
tively sinful,  though  frequently  culpable 

What  proportions  these  fundamentally  different 
types  of  obstruction  bear  to  one  another  may  not  be 
clearly  discernible;  but  could  we  contemplate  human! 

ZJjr  T'  u^^''  ^^^"^P"'"t.  q"''te  possibly  we 
n^'ght  see  that  human  inertia,  immaturity,  and  i^- 
norance  constitute  vastly  greater  obstacles  to  the  Di- 

Zl^ru\!!'"Vf''''^'  *^^^'^"  ^-^  hitherto 
realized.    If  the  chief  difficulty  in  the  home  is  com- 

-only  with  these,  rather  than  with  positively  vidous 

tiv"e  reMr^  "'  ^'^''^  "'^^  '^''''  ^^^^^^^  ^ith  posi! 
tive  rebellion  or  not;  may  it  not  be  somewhat  likewise 

-  the  Great  Father's  larger  household?    Anyway 

bTi'^orrd     A  f  J'^"*'«-"^  thorough  they  caL 
be  Ignored.    And  because  they  come  naturally  before 
the  positive  antagonism  which  becomes  "  sinful  "  only 


*i 


1 1,''" 


^32    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

the  age  of  accountability,  let  us  deal  fircf      .u    ,. 
passive  type.  ""^^^  ^'^^  th( 

PASSIVE  OBSTRUCTION   TO   GOD's    WILL 

Human  life  commences  in  immaturifv     p  t 
can  attain  ideal  development  its  every    orm  o/         '' 
turity  must  be  overcome     W^    ^^JfY  iorm  of  ,mma- 

Plished,  we  learnTpTrt  from  th  'T  "  '"'T  "^°"- 
J-~icb  account  :t^,^U^^^ 
tra  ts  and  environmg  influences.     God  works  vi  In 
and  sp,r,tually  through  inherent  forces-  but   nr";" 
'ng  new  life  with  affectionate  parentage    H^Tf 
also  the  agency  of  teachers,  friend     a„d'th.-"-f 
tions  of  society.  ^"enas,  and  the  mstitu- 

bee^af'rl''  ^'  '''""''^  '^^'  '^''^'^  immaturity  has 

that  Twentieth  Cent„r„     ^,?°T    Who  can  believe 
vine  ideal"    Yet  n^rZ-'i"''™  ""'^'^  *=  ^^'■ 

i^  no.  cjHt"c:ixrs^:^t--~- 

passmn,  and  a  will  undisciplined/  Is  „5',      T^' 
eapcnts.    No  man  can  review  his  life  „i,ho« 


OBSTRUCTION  TO  GOD'S  PURPOSE     133 
realizing  that  many  of  his  early  failures  resulted  not 
from  a  desire  to  do  evil,  but  because  not  having  passed 
that  way  before  he  did  the  wrong  thing  unconscious  of 
the  seriousness  of  his  deed,  and  perhaps  with  the  ut- 
inost  surprise  at  its  results.    Everybody  discovers  inci- 
dentally  that  certain  things  are  hot.  and  has  to  bear 
the  pam  of  his  education.     Everybody,   howsoever 
good  or  bad,  has  trouble  with  himself.    And  no  parent 
educator,  or  theologian  understands  his  problem,  un- 
less he  realizes  this  fact,  and  co-operates  intelligently 
from  the  outside  with  God  who  is  operating  from 
withm.     As  Lyman  Aobott  observes,   "All  youths 
like  all  apples,  are  green;  but  that  condition  is  en- 
tirely different  from  the  problem  presented  where  the 
boy  or  the  apple  has  a  worm  at  the  heart." 

Without  condoning  passion  or  its  awful  results,  may 
not  glimpses  of  the  real  life  be  seen  when  hot  appetite 
or  sudden  anger— undesigned  and  unintentional— is 
followed  by  sincere  regret?  The  whole  worth  of  the 
spirit  IS  found;  not  in  its  passion,  which  was  transient- 
but  m  Its  repentance,  real  and  lasting,  which 
stands  as  a  buttress  of  defence  for  the  remainder  of 
life. 

Ignorance,  fecund  mother  of  superstition,  hate,  and 
endless  wrongs,  may  be  regarded  as  a  form  of  im- 
maturity.  To  suppose  that  when  the  youth  becomes 
an  adult  his  immaturity  will  pass  must  be  erroneous 
Neither  for  the  individual  nor  for  the  race  can  im- 
maturity ever  pass;  else  life  were  not  eternal.  In  the 
light  of  present  achievements  we  see  that  Thales, 
Socrates,  and  Aristotle  were  immature  intellectually;' 


•34    THE  SCIEN-CE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

Abraham  and  David  ethiVallv.  ,    i  .i. 

race  scientifically  ^'  ^"^  '^'  ^^«»^  ^"'"a) 

progress  by  stailar  resistance  ™  *''^'"^  "'^ 

asi^;rbrtrofH°T" "'"-'  "^  ^o-^^"  -«■•» 

Where  e.erna,  in  ™es^  a'e  3^"^  '°  °°''^  P™«^'=-- 
aceive  and  constan  'merest  toT  ^  T'^'!.  "•>'" 
social  reformers  an,l  r.  ?    ,    manifested.     Yet 

confronterby  ri.tral^'T'''''"^  ""^"''"^  "e 
.he  community  un.cu  LdX    S  ttX",,"""'"™^ 

J^e^obst^^^^^^^^^^^^ 

:re::r-''^-"--"-^ 
-r.bri-rc&:^-i'^t 

part  m  political  or  municipa,  hfe."  Itthou'^h  The^ 


OBSTRUCTION  TO  GOD'S  PURPOSE     135 

things  had  nothing  to  do  with  bringing  the  kingdom 
they  daily  and  reverently  pray  for! 

"  To  him  that  knoweth  to  do  good,  and  doeth  it 
not,  to  him  It  is  sin."  Much  that  cannot  be  ranked  a« 
positive  sin.  so  far  "  misses  the  mark  "  that  it  possesses 
sinful  elements,  and  lays  whole  communities  under 
condemnation.  No  gospel  is  "  rightly  divided  "•  no 
theology  complete,  which  ignores  the  obstructions  pre- 
sented to  God's  purpose  by  unconscious  or  passive  con- 
ditions— immaturity,  ignorance,  and  inertia. 

ACTIVE  RESISTANCE  TO  GOD's  WILL 

Active  resistance  to  the  Divine  order  commences  so 
soon  as  the  human  unit  begins  to  assert  its  will  in 
unlawful  ways  and  for  improper  ends.    Such  conduct 
however  violent,  or  howsoever  tragic  its  results,  be- 
comes not  sin  until  the  age  of  accountability  be  at- 
tained.    Yet  it  displays  with  guileless  freedom  the 
phenomena  of  will.    Undisciplined  and  irrational,  pas- 
sionate to  violence,  and  distressfully  stubborn,  a  child 
may  assert  its  will  to  the  perple!dty  of  a  whole  house- 
hold    Not  the  human  adult  alone  is  self-determined. 
Will  ,s  will  in  the  gusty  and  perverse  child,  and  dis- 
plays  Its  freedom  as  fully  as  in  the  steady  purpose 
of  the  imperia'  leader.    Nay,  in  the  child,  the  hobo, 
and  the  criminal,  the  wilfulness  of  will,  or  in  other 
words.  Its  innate  freedom,  is  better  observable  than 
m  the  case  of  the  docile  or  well-disposed,  who  lend 
themselves  to  the  regulations,  laws,  and  customs  of  the 
social  order. 

In  its  nature  the  finite  will  is  as  free  as  the  Infinite, 


'■i 


i'f 


?i 


136    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

namre^^BuMt  "'"""f"""-  ^"ih  are  of  the  sam, 
nature,  iiut  they  are  of  the  same  nature  It  is  ivil 
agatns.  w,ll  when  a  clash  arises.    And  since  wh! 

wiirSf  '■"  ""'  '""'"^  '°  ^'"^  *  "h-a 
ev      thLTl?  ""r-  ""^""l""-""'  'han  „e  have 
.hil       .  ascnbmg  to  God,  it  may  help  our 

h,nk,ng  to  say  that  whenever  a  finite  beiL  oppoZ 
.he  order  of  God's  working  it  is  met  by  a  VViU  of 
own  na.ure-wi,h  decided  advantages  in'  favou  of  .  e 
Pa  ent  power.    One  is  finite,  the  other  Infinite.    One 
r    .des  ma  be.ng  possessing  an  atom  of  power- the 
olher  ,s  Omnipotent     One  operates  largely Tn'  it 
norance:  the  other  is  Omniscient.    Again.^he  humaj 
w.n  can  never  act  (.,  rac.o.    Though  potemfallyfT 
..  must  act  m  God's  universe  and  under  eircumfanc« 
no.  of  ,ts  own  choice,  but  of  His  ordaining    Farther 
more  God  ,00k  the  precaution  ,0  make  man  Htase  ' 

k    "rdTnVfiVt  '"f  '  '>■"=  <■'  ^^'"^^ 
.ohave     So..  ;  "r"'"  "'•"'  "•"'  He  desired 

n  whi  h  God  a  ;.r  "  "'  '"""'  ""  ""'"'^^ 

in  wn,ch  God  and  the  universe  are  moving.    Moreover 

for  the  sake  of  support  and  of  restrain.  God  resere^' 
.he  nght  of  working  upon  the  finite  spirit  from  T 
inside,  as  well  as  fmm  tu        .    j       J  ^* 

<,ef  thL  ^^  outside.     Finally  He  has 

e    the  universe  to  resent  autonomously  ever^  inter 
ference  with  His  laws  and  His  purpose.        ^ 
Against  such  overwhelming  odds  it  would  not  seem 

Go  's  platan  a'Tn"'^  ^^  '^'^  ^^^^^  """ 
hvVJ  /  ''"'^'^  '"  ^'^^  ^^'"e  <=an  be  brought 

^yj-Penor  u^^sdom  a^ul  pourer.  to  desire,  or  w'll   in 
the  direction  of  the  common  weal,  and  Ihat  ^Z 


i  ! 


OBSTRUCTION  TO  GOD'S  PURPOSE     137 

•doing  violence  to  its  inherent  nature,  may  not  God  be 
able  to  do  something  of  the  same  kind? 

There  would  be  no  need  of  so  elaborately  bracing 
.he  Infinite  will  in  the  presence  of  "a  poor  worm  of 
he  dust,  were  not  our  thinking  on  a  fundamental 
theological  doctrme  governed  by  misconceptions  re- 
gardmg  the  utter  helplessness  of  God  to  stay  the 
world-wrecking  ruin  caused  by  one  wilful  act  of  such 
a  human  unit. 

Of  course  no  finite  being  can  in  our  day  seriously 
'mpair  the  universe,  nor  to  a  very  material  extent  im- 
pede  the  broad  purpose  of  Omnipotence;  but  for  ages 
U  was  thought  that  a  single  act  of  human  disobedience 
not  only  destroyed  the  race,  but  so  disarranged  the 
e  ernal  purpose  that  God  had  forever  to  forego  the 
Jclea  of  havmg  a  good  universe,  and  must  forever  be 
content  with  saving  a  minority  of  His  children.    Such 
a  conception  leaves  us  with  a  defeated  Deity    in  a 
rumed  world;  and  whatever  progress  the  Gospel  may 
be  destined  to  make,  it  provides  no  hope  for  the  count- 
less millions  who  have  died  without  hearing  the  mes- 
sage; and  It  holds  no  hope  that  God  will  ever  be  able 
to  recover  from  the  catastrophe  which  a  finite  being, 
m  His  mighty  universe,  wrought  by  a  single  deed 
buch  reflections  contrasted  with  cherished  beliefs  of 

Zk    fr '>  ^'l  'P'  *°  '^'''  ^"  ™P^^^^-    Who  can 
think  of  God  as  being  defeated  ?-finally  and  forever 

defeated?    Yet  sin  is  a  fact;  and  its  devastation  all 

about  us     What  is  sin?    And  what  its  origin?    Can 

the  worlds  wretched  condition  be  fully  accounted 


•( 


138    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 
"Man's  first  disobedience,  and  the  fruit 
Of  that  forbidden  tree,  whose  mortal  taste 
Brought  death  into  the  world,  and  all  our  woe  "  ? 

Or  should  readjusted  thinking  lay  less  blame  on  Adam, 
and  more  on  the  sons  of  Adam  ? 

In  the  view  of  science,  sin  emerged  slowly  and  by 
degrees  as  rudnnentary  humanity  developed  to  higher 
and  h.gher  stages  of  life,  and  so  became  capable  of 
truer   eth.cal    conceptions.     As    St.    Paul    intimates 
where  there  is  no  law,  there  can  be  no  sin;  for  "  Sin  is 
the  transgression  of  the  law."    Time  was  when  there 
was  no  sm;  conscience,  intelligence,  and  the  emergence 
of  law  bemg  necessary  to  its  arrival. 

th  ^fl  T'^.  T"'  '"'  ''"°''  *^'*  ^"'■'"'"'•^  f^^'^ted  upon 
the  flesh  of  their  pnsoners-but  that  was  not  "  sin  "   it 
was  the  recognized  i     'hod  of  securing  to  victors  the 
heroic  quaht.es  of  th.  .  captives,  as  well  as  the  reward 
of  their  triumph.     Polyandry  preceded  polygamy,  as 
polygamy  preceded  monogamy;   but  the  having  of 
many  husbands  in  the  one  social  state,  or  the  posses- 
ston  of  plural  wives  in  the  other,  was  not  sin.    The 
aw  and  significance  of  monogamy  had  not  come  to 
l»g.;.!;  was  not  felt  as  a  law;  had  not  been  so  pro- 
claimed.   But  in  our  age  cannibalism  is  regarded  as  ab- 
horrent wrong;  polygamy  punishable  by  law;  polyan- 
dry unheard  of;  and  the  ethical  ideal  rising  so  rapidly 
that  what  was  condoned  half  a  century  ago  is  in  our 
eyes  reprehensible. 

On  the  evolutionary  hypothesis,  such  facts  fall  into 
their  natural  place;   for  an  evolving  race  reveals  a 


■!'•!; 


OBSTRUCTION  TO  TOD'S  PURPOSE     139 
slowly  emerging  intelligence,  a  gradually  developing 
will,  a  generally  improving  conscience,  and  a  slowly 
nsmg  spirituality.    In  other  words,  if  man's  creation 
involves  the  birth  and  development  in  normal  order 
of  the  powers  which  make  personality,  his  intelligence, 
will,  and  conscience  have  all  arisen  to  present  power 
by  the  practice  and  experience  which  alone  could  cause 
<leveIopment.    But  if  sin  developed,  as  personality  de- 
veloped,  from  lower  to  advancing  stages,  the  trans- 
gressions of  early   man   were  less   sinful   than  the 
wrongful  acts  of  more  enlightened  men  in  our  morally 
developed  era.     Greater  blame  rests  upon  improper 
conduct  to-day  than  could  possibly  be  imputed  to  any 
member  of  our  primeval  ancestry. 

Human  obstruction  to  the  Divine  purpose  may  be 
less  than  we  have  been  accustomed  to  think,  since  God 
both  works  independently  of  man  and  also  overrules 
his  worst  misconduct  to  further  His  ends.    Neverthe- 
less in  the  developing  will  of  man  is  seen  a  developing 
power  of  resistance  against  God.    The  study  of  sin 
constitutes  an  examination  of  the  conflict  of  a  finite 
will  with  the  Infinite  Will;  the  clash  of  a  developing 
spirit  with  the  Source  of  its  powers.     A  being  is 
springing  up  in  the  universe,  who  because  of  his  in- 
creasing divinity  is  capable  of  greater  resistance  to 
^od;  of  more  heinous  sin;  and  of  a  more  terrible  fall 
Ihe  interest  of  theology  increases  as  the  race  evolves 


I   -If 


XII 
™H.ArUKHANO.HVHI.OPME.TOPs™ 

S  '-"^rrfrr  7r '■  ■"  -"■-mar, 

^  clearlydiscerne'i  !,"r'^''°P"^''  ""^"n-e  more 
'•.=""™-    The  genera  pZ't"'''  T"  '^•"""^  ■"  "^ 

'"g  'o  the  lypes  of  lit      ^""^  '""  ^'">  «"^<i- 

P'-^em  identical  ethical  ideals  Vr  "^^  °'  '"■^""•J' 
'«»  as  the  religion,  of  the  worif"""' ^^^  """<'- 
"a^yng  sentiments  between  R„m'  ?  "'"""  =■»  "■« 
«'ant  Christianity.     Evln  ,h  ™"/  "^"^  and  Prot- 
■nations  have  different  pr"c«car;''"'''"''"^  "'"«"'■ 
vastly  varying  eonceptio'sof'^'  7"  °/  "™?.  ="» 
'■q"ors,  card  playing  and  hea  °'  ™'°'""'ing 

for  the  members  of  one  comm    ^"'"^  ""^  "«  "  ^'"s  " 
"fg^  in  by  the  memb^  sTarr"'  V^"'  '''^'y  '- 
of  sentiment  may  need lesslv  r       '    '^'"'''^  ^ha^es 
communities,  becLe  tn-e, hi   ?'?''  '""'''""'''■  "r 
'"  P^ciples;  no,  meret  to  th       •''  ■"''''  '^'"h  "h- 
order,  but  also  to  the  deVrimenf  of'"!"'^  "'  "''  '"cial 
fore  no  true  conception  of 't"  "' 'h-^o'ogy-    Where- 
Ascerning  the  elemental  p  i^cinl!"  ^.-t""^''  '"'ho"' 
™^^.ngcomple.  of  .hou7  t rd'^J;'""""^  ""•^ 

140 


..mm:^^ 


NATURE  AND  DEVELOPMENT  OF 


SIN 


141 


THOUGH   SINS   BE   MANY,   SIN   IS  ONE 

phases  of  being:  sins  a£rain<;f  hJc  r.u    ■    ,         '"^'^*"' 

0I  pe*nam;r5r;or.rv';  ^°"""" '-'- 

niiiKl     >i;„  .^    ^      ""  '^''J'  "'V  unseat  the 

tne  nitrusion  of  untruth,  itiust  damage  the  whole  life 

Sins  may  be  many,  yet  is  there  only  one  sin     .-  ,■ 
ar.et,es  of  sinning  have  the  same  source    may  Z 

whether  refut,!'  f  ^  ""s-i-rection  of  the  will- 

whe  e  U  "TJTj'r''"'  "'  -'^O  «ves 
i'«if  exi   s  o^„         efifects  are  everywhere,  but  sin 

perversl™.'  °"''   '"  '  ''""■  ^   '""  sP-ifs   self- 

'";  "  ™^  '"■  ""™°^.  o-  coNDmoN  OF  A  sra„ 

Is  sm  then  not  a  thing  ^„  „/ an  entity?   Nol  never 
=•«  exists  not  "  in  the  Mir  '  „„.  never. 

arable  obiect     T,  f        '•  "'  '  '"P"^"  »■•  sep- 

ccrta.n  :  "  "'"  °"^y  'n  a  spirit  of  a 

ccrtam    grade    or    elevation    of     bein»      N„,     • 

-  ammal,  not  in  a  ba.«,  not  in  an  Zt,  b« 'on,'; 

Pe.ont":th  a    tulr  ff!:ToTi-"t  ■'"  'iV 

eno.t  ot  ii5  tiaturc.    About 


If  ■■  I 

I'    .  i  i 


:«| 


142    THii  SCIl;.VCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 
this  must  k  no  mistake.    If  sin  conld  be  isolated  it 
n.,ght  be  hunted  down  hke  a  mad  beast  or  det  oyed 
like  bactena.    But  it  cannot.    This  is  the     .  4dy  of 

s:  .t^rh-ro^n^Tt^v.^^^^^^^^ 

But   sin,   unlike   cancer,   is  self-inflicted.    Unlike 

oirjnt'itr  "°°^"  '"^ '-- "  ^°'-  s 

of  sm,  .s  always  suicide  of  the  better  self,  as  wdl  a^ 
an  injury  to  others.  '"  "* 

Because  overt  acts  are  known  as  "sins"  it  i,  n„, 
unnaturally  assumed  that  a  sin  can  ex  s.  sel  ately 
Seemg  the  result  of  si„-a  theft,  a  lie,  a  n,uZ^, 
put  the  name  on  the  deed,  saying  "  that  is  a  sin  •• 
whereas  to  see  sin.  where  alone  it  can  .^  ,  w'  Zst 
race  from  „„.  ,r„„,  |«,ck  .0  the  conscious   pirhZo 
■s  .ts  source  and  in  whom  it  inheres.    There  i    wi« 
arpear  as  the  perversion  of  a  free  beine     Not  Th 
ouur  act,  but  the  inner  condition  is  tv^ri^  Zl 

take  His  kmd  of  mterest  in  the  problem 

rel     ."■""'  f  '*"  '^'"  P"""Pl^  ••»  «t«ted  by  the 
mogntfon  of  motive  in  ethics,  as  well  as  in  the  pr«! 


.'t 


NATURE  AND  DEVELOPMENT  OF  SIN     143 

tical  operation  of  our  courts  of  justice.  Judges  pro- 
nounce the  deed  of  a  culprit  as  misdemeanour  or 
crime,  as  manslaughter  or  murder,  by  the  motive  which 
actuated  tlie  deed.  Malice,  revenge,  deliberation,  be- 
ing proved,  the  crime  is  adjudged  heinous  in  its  nature. 
Ignorance,  or  lack  of  evil  intent  presents  extenuating 
circumstance  and  constitutes  a  plea  for  mercy.  What 
judges  in  a  law  court  can  but  imperfectly  deduce  as 
motive,  exists  as  an  actual  co:Jiiion  in  the  soul  of  the 
culprit,  arising  from  within.  That  state  of  evil  is 
the  thing  God  has  to  deal  with  and  constitutes  the  need 
of  cure  and  redemption.  It  is  the  "  self  "  that  requires 
regeneration.  Sin  can  exist  nowhere  except  in  a  per- 
sonality. It  is  always  personal ;  the  self-inflicted  state 
of  a  spiritual  being. 


SIN   IS  POSITIVE 

Long  has  raged  the  dispute  as  to  whether  sin  is  posi- 
tive or  negative.  In  general,  it  has  been  customary 
since  the  age  of  Augustine  to  regard  it  as  negative 
or  "  privative,"  assigning  for  it  such  definitions  as 
"  the  absence  of  virtue,"  or  "  a  shadow  where  the 
light  should  shine."  Confusion  and  inaccuracy  of 
thought  are  here  manifest.  In  the  first  place,  sin  has 
been  confused  with  evil.  Much  that  is  evil  contains 
none  of  the  factors  distinctive  of  sin.  Pain  and  mis- 
fortune, accident  and  sickness,  we  say  are  "  evils  " 
because  trying  to  bear,  yet  in  none  of  these  is  there 
necessarily  sin,  and  every  one  of  them  may  be  Divinely 
overruled  for  our  benefit.    God  uses  pain  and  testing 


'■m 


'f    :f 


144    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

in  His  Fatherly  discipline.  What  else  could  He  do? 
What  other  uses  has  adversity?    Or 

"What's  the  blessed  evil  for?" 

"  Evils  "  may  be  privative  or  negative,  but  sin  never. 
Not  of  sin  is  Browning  speaking  when  he  makes  Abt 
Vogler  exclaim 

"  The  evil  is  null,  is  naught,  is  silence  implying  sound." 

Sin  is  rather  discord,  the  disease  of  sound,  yet  is  the 
figure  altogether  inadequate  to  set  forth  sin,  since  voli- 
tion, the  essential  element  of  sin,  is  wholly  wanting. 
Where  sm  is,  there  is  will  giving  to  conduct  its  moral 
quality. 

For  this  reason  the  above  definitions  are  inappro- 
priate.    Light  and  darkness  cannot  illustrate  virtue 
and  sm,  inasmuch  as  they  are  material,  while  virtue 
and  sm  are  both  personal.    No  material  symbology  is 
adequate  to  represent  that  which  is  in  essence  moral— 
an  act  of  volition.    Light  is  not  good  because  it  wills 
to  be;  nor  is  darkness  evil,  because,  consciously  re- 
sisting a  higher  call,  it  wilfully  does        -ng.  yet  these 
constitute  the  essential  elements  of  s.       Manifestly, 
the     good     and  the  "  evil  "  of  the  above  definitions 
are  non-moral,  and  in  using  them  thought  moves  un- 
consciously in  the  non-moral  realm. 

To  behold  sin  truly  it  must  be  seen  as  the  self- 
expression  of  a  free  spirit,  whose  decision,  having 
reference  to  some  problem  of  right  and  wrong,  takes 


NATURE  AND  DEVELOPMENT  OF  SIN  145 
place  in  the  mopl  field.  Decision,  or  the  taking  of 
one's  attitude  in  a  given  set  of  circumstances,  is  an 
act  of  the  will.  But  every  act  of  will  is  positive  It 
cannot  be  anything  else.  The  youth  who  decides  to 
steal,  or  he,  does  so  by  as  positive  an  act  of  will  as 
if  he  decided  to  tell  the  truth  or  resist  the  temptation. 
Sm  is  the  choice  of  a  lower  end  in  the  presence  of 
a  higher  ideal.  But  every  choice  is  positive,  whether 
It  be  a  decision  to  do  right  or  to  do  wrong.  Volition 
IS  self-expression;  and  since  will  is  central  in  person- 
ality Its  act  expresses  that  person's  condition.  Re- 
sponsibility rests  upon  him  justly  because  his  self- 
movement  or  intention  makes  his  deed  virtuous  or 
sinful. 

In  deliberate  acts  the  operation  of  thought  and  will 
are  easily  traced  and  the  principles  involved  clear; 
but  where  decisions  are  impulsive,  or  motives  mixed,' 
or  where  duty  is  neglected  until  the  door  of  oppor- 
tunity is  irrevocably  closed,  the  principles  of  conduct 
may  not  shine  so  distinctly;  nevertheless  what  is  cer- 
tain that,  being  involved,  they  operate.  And.  could 
we  but  see  it,  the  whole  life  is  involved  in  our  indi- 
vidual deeds;  so  that  responsibility  rests  upon  us  for 
contracting  r  building  up  habits  and  fostering  frail- 
ties; jus^  rit  attaches  to  the  heroic  course  which 
conquen  :  and  strengthens  moral  fibre.  Sin  can 
be  seen  soul's  nature  only  by  its  acts  or  habits. 
1  he  tree  is  known  by  its  fruit.  What  is  needed  by 
the  sinner  is  not  the  pardon  of  his  several  si  is.  bat  the 
chaiigo  of  his  being. 

Let  it  once  be  seen  that  motive  is  the  soul  of  a  deed. 


i  Is 


146    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 
that  volition  is  choice  between  ends,  and  it  becomes 
perfectly  clear  that  sin  is  always  positive,  a  motion  or 
effort  of  the  will,  and  always  represents  a  mal-condi- 
tion  of  the  being  who  makes  such  evil  self-expression. 

SIN  DEVELOPS  WITH  THE  RACE 

Not  only  is  sin  positive  and  personal,  the  act  or 
attitude  of  a  free  spirit,  but  it  develops  with  the  ascent 
of  the  race.    Manifestly,  developing  personality  means 
development  of  the  complex  powers  which  go  to  make 
personality.     The  rise  of  the  race  involves  enlarged 
capacities;  increase  of  intellect  and  feeling,  more  per- 
fected moral  ideals,  supported  by  more  elaborate  legal 
and  social  restraints.    From  the  beginning,  up  the  long 
ascent,  individuals  have  shared  in  the  racial  advance 
until  to-day,  "  Heir  of  all  the  ages  in  the  foremosi 
files  of  time."  the  citizen  of  a  Christian  state  finds 
his  conception  of  right  and  wrong  largely  formed  for 
him  by  the  sentiment  of  the  community  in  which  he 
lives,  and  the  highest  in  the  world.    For  an  untutored 
savage  to  commit  theft  or  murder,  however  nearly 
his  deed  might  express  pr.sions  which  we  feel    still 
It  would  lack  the  enormity  which  must  characterize 
such  a  cnme  in  an  age  like  ours,  since  the  criminal  of 
to-day  has  to  violate  restraints  and  crash  through 
sentiment  wholly  non-existent  for  primitive  man     In 
short,  sm  in  an  age  of  high  intelligence  and  exalted 
ethical  Ideals   is  vastly  more  heinous  than  that  of 
earlier  times;  and  the  moral  fall  of  a  man  to-day 
greater  than  was  possible  under  a  less  developed  moral 
order.    Our  fathers  were  right  in  holding  that  the  sin 


NATURE  AND  DEVELOPMENT  OF  SIN  147 
of  an  exalted  person  was  greater  than  that  of  a  lower 
being.  Their  chief  mistake  lay  in  assuming  that  prim- 
itive man  represented  a  more  elevated  and  developed 
type  of  personality  than  the  present.  The  truth  to 
be  recognized  is  that  from  the  first  the  trend  has  been 
upward— and  the  end  is  not  yet. 

THE  ETHICAL  IDEA  GROWS 

No  human  being  achieves  perfection.    As  he  attains 
a  higher  ethical  and  spiritual  standard,  there  still  shines 
before  him  a  yet  higher  type  of  perfection  toward 
which  he  is  impelled  by  conscience  and  God.    Because 
of  this  "  receding  ideal."  never  attainable,  inasmuch 
as  each  summit  gained  reveals  yet  loftier  heights  be- 
yond, the  individual  experiences  a  groiving  sense  of 
duty.    At  the  centre  of  his  being  he  discovers  the  call 
of  God  to  further  progress  and  higher  personality. 
Does  the  whole  creation  experience  travail  pains?    So 
also,  within,  as  without,  is  felt  the  impulse  of  God,  and 
the  appeal   of  the-yet-to-be  working  together  in  a 
creative  process— bringing  forth  new  life;  a  diviner 
type  of  being. 

Nor  can  evolution  be  regarded  merely  as  a  general 
or  indefinite  movement;  for  whilst  clearly  humanity 
appears  as  the  crowning  product  of  the  universal  co- 
working,  its  exact  call  is  heard  in  individuals,  and 
experienced  there  as  personal  obligation.  What  the 
still  small  voice  says  to  any  particular  individual  must 
be  affected  by  the  sentiment  of  the  community  of  which 
he  is  a  member,  but  his  duty  is  always  felt  to  be  a 
personal  matter,  and  depends  upon  what  he  conceives 


'■  1 

1,  r : 

is 

i 

i;  f 

HnRni 

ih 

1 

w 

f:l 

||i 

,' 

1  ■', 

ib 

Iff' 

1 1.' 

JiU 

i'i 

■ 

:H 

n  :  1 

1 

1    ■ 

I  i; 

Hi 


wi 


!.i 


THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 


God's  demands  upon  him  to  be.  The  outer  and  .'he 
inner  calls  witness  together,  but  have  their  interpreta- 
tion at  the  inner  court  where  obligation  rests,  in 
relation  to  what  he  ought  to  be,  he  views  the  measure 
of  his  failure,  and  feels  his  sin  as  violation  of  God's 
will. 

Wherefore,  formal  definitions  transcended,  we  see 
that  sin  is  the  choosing  of  a  lower,  where  a  higher 
course  of  thought  or  conduct  is  perceived  as  possible. 
Regardless  of  civic  or  ecclesiastical  legislation,  or  of 
what  the  sentiment  of  Paris  or  Bombay  may  consider 
right  or  wrong;  each  man  has  to  face  Omniscient  God, 
and  stand  or  fall  by  the  standard  which  God  has  suc- 
ceeded in  erecting  within  him.     If  he  fondles  low  or 
evil  thought,  or  decides  to  perform  a  certain  deed 
which  is  less  noble  than  another  .'.ecd  which  he  feels 
to  bt  nut  merely  higher,  but  highest;  he  hris  wronged 
his  nature  and  the  God  who  is  working  in  him — and 
that  is  sin.    For  that  he  stands  condemned  at  the  Bar 
of  the  Universe  and  before  his  own  conscience.    As 
spiritual  light  intensifies,  spiritual   shadows  deepen. 
To  commit  adultery  was  once  sin;  to  plan  or  to  think 
of  it  is  now  sin.     The   former  does  two  injuries, 
wronging  the  perpetrator  and  his  victim;  the  latter 
blackens  the  perpetrator  alone,  but  it  does  so  blacken 
him  that  it  injures  the  very  fibre  of  his  being;  and 
from  that  he  needs  redemption. 


XIII 
THE  ORIGIN  OF  SIN 

AS  we  have  shown,  sin  can  have  no  separate  exist- 
^  ence;  it  lives  in  its  s.nirce  as  a  motion  or  con- 
dition oflhe  being  who  wilfull}  resists  God, 
and  wrongs  his  own  nature,  by  rkciding  in  favour  of 
a  lower  in  ph(  p  <,f  his  highest  ideal.  But  how  comes 
it  that  an  intelligent  and  free  being  does  resist  God 
and  violate  his  own  higher  nature  ? 

Complex  indeed  is  the  network  of  impulses,  motives, 
and  circumstances  which  makes  so  injurious  a  pro- 
ceeding possible.    In  the  first  place,  because  of  his  rela- 
tion, to  a  physical  organism,  man  is  subject  to  the 
impulses  of  passion.    Every   function  of  the  body, 
holy  in  itself  and  designed  for  divinest  ends,  may  be 
used  unlawfully.    Just  as  energy  naturally  expresses 
Itself  in  activity,  so  every  animal  passion  is  a  form 
of  energy  tending  to  its  own  mode  of  discharge. 
About  this  is  nothing  abnormal.    The  greater  a  man's 
physical  powers  the  better,  so  long  as  he  keeps  them 
subject  to  his  higher  nature.     But  the  mastery  must 
be  won.    This  is  the  conflict  which  St.  Paul  so  graph- 
ically portrays  in  the  Seventh  of  Romans.     As  F.  R. 
Tennant  well  says,  "  It  is  with  difficulty  that  our  nat- 
ural, non-moral  tendencies  are  moralized  or  brought 
under  the  dominion  of  the  higher  nature."    We  need 

149 


mm 


i:     :!' 


■ 

'. 

:  m  • 

•  r'  S 

^^Hi' 

M\ 

150    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 
the  senses,  but  must  resist  sensuality.    The  animal  w. 
2"re  but  must  subdue  its  animahsm.    T^  '"ot 
the  othen"  "^  °"^  '^  ''  '^  ^"^^^  -^  by  sidmg  ."h 
Again,  in  the  world  are  innumerable  forms  of  pleas- 

R,,.  I,-  ■  T  P"pl«,ng  and  serious  problem 

there  a'e      r„r""rf  °"  '""  <"«-  circuLunct 

-£or.irje:Se:  l;tTo^x;^-:.' 

the  i„r         ^"1  '^"•™™='ance  we  need  not  write  but 

ORIGINAL  SIN 

i< '  ^  rtituis  or  tneir  Sinnintr      Tho 

Ve.,  if  we  trace  ^^.^CLr:^^:^^ 
tl^s  can  be  science,  we  must  observe  thaf  Ti^,u 
effects  of  sin  that  fall  on  posterity,  no.  ^L  l^l 


THE  ORIGIN  OF  SIN  151 

The  child  of  a  murderer  suffers  for  his  father's  crime, 
but  IS  m  no  sense  guilty  therefor.  In  the  eye  of 
benevolent  humanity,  the  wrong  done  the  child  by  its 
father  excites  compensating  compassion.  But  if  poor 
humanity,  in  its  sense  of  justice,  instinctively  com- 
passionates one  who  suffers  such  initial  disadvantages, 
surely  the  Source  of  all  goodness  will  pity  hi-  too.' 
God  will  not  condemn  him  for  it.  Can  justice  hold 
him  guilty  of  the  sin  which  wrongs  him?  Is  not  God 
the  defence  of  innocence  ? 

Universally  is  it  true  that  the  effects  of  sin  pass 
over  to  children,  causing  the  guiltless  to  suffer  with 
the  sinner.    But  the  sin  itself  rests  in  the  soul  that 
sinned,  and  nowhere  else.    "  The  soul  that  sinneth  it 
shall  clic;  The  son  shall  not  bear  the  iniquity  of  the 
father,  neither  shall  the  father  bear  the  iniquity  of 
the  son;  the  righteousness  of  the  righteous  shall  be 
upon  him,  and  the  wickedness  of  the  wicked  shall  be 
upon  him  "  (Ezek.  3:  18-20).    Let  the  issue  be  taken 
squarely,  for  it  bears  examination.    Much  as  the  chil- 
dren of  tubercular  parents  receive  a  legacy  of  weak 
lungs;  or  the  child  of  the  inebriate  may  inherit  a 
craving  for  liquor;  so  the  progeny  of  criminal  classes 
exhibit  proclivities  to  all  manner  of  evil.     In  every 
case,  however,  the  child,  himself  unsinning,  is  victim 
of  parental  sin.    He  suffers  for  their  wrong  without 
responsibility  for  it.    He  is  implicated  in  no  way  ex- 
cept as  a  guileless  sufferer. 

If  no  single  sin  can  be  transmitted  to  posterity,  no 
combination  of  sins  can  be.  Nothing  evil  can  pass 
over  from  parent  to  child,  except  the  wrong  against 


\ 


^■lilli:^^^ 


f  'M 


\l>    . 


Hi 


152    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 
it.    Pathetic  as  this  fact  must  be,  still  we  see  that  it 
can  .„  no  way  be  avoided,  on  account  of  the  law  of 
generat,on.    What  should  gladden  us  is  the  mo  eTha„ 
compensatory  truth  that  the  transmission  of  ev"  is Tu^ 
secondary  and  incidental  to  the  transmission  o   good 
Along  wth  the  frailties  inheritcl  from  ,,„,  "nj^f 
wc  receive  fnn,  ,he„  also,  i„  „„,  hereditary  ,rS„'' 
.very  form  of  latent  ability  which  has  cveVheetZ' 
crated  or  achieved.    Of  course  this  superior  nrincSe 
elemental  though  it  he  couM  nn.  h.    i"-""r  principle, 
oerceiv^t  ih,.  ,u  ■  '  '*  *""  """'  't  was 

S  o  »  T  '^"=«"'''■"^•  "d  that  the  trans- 
mission of  acquired  traits  is  Gods  method  of  race- 
budding;  the  key  ,„  all  progress.  In  seeing  the  .rant 
mission  of  the  evil  proclivities  which  afflicf  humaX 

z  Sidtr'-f  •" "'"''''  *'  'ra„smi:r  ?f 

me  Itself  and  all  its  potential  powers.    Disease  can 
of  course  he  transmitted  if  >Here  W  life  J«.~ 

«rr,„<,^^,.  otherwise  it  stops-^elfH^xhausted 

Triumphantly  significant !    Life  is  on  the  ascendant 
Heredity  means,  not  the  transmission  of  defects  and 

g^tls,  artistic  tastes  iia'iv,  r.  fnemem,  parental  line, 
ments  of  countenanc. ,  and  parental  traiis'of  n, i„d  I| 
tha  to-day  adorns  the  woilc  of  talent  ;,,„,  g  „it 
r^resents  increments  of  worth  gained  little  by  li  He 
dunng  the  ascending  centuries  by  human  beings  and 
transmitted  to  their  posterity  "c'ngs  and 

of"  to  o'rr'A'"1 "  '■'  --^O"'""""'.  'hen  heredity 
Of  te.nl  or  disadvantage,  of  disease  or  proclivitv  to 

et;  ^o'w    "  'f  "■"'""""' '°  *'  '-™i-o    of  an 
ever-growing  volume  of  conquering  and  victorious  life 


THE  ORIGIN  OF  SIN  153 

If  sin  cannot  be  transmitted,  whence  comes  it?  It 
has  but  one  source-it  is  the  self-motion  of  a  free 
bemgr.  and  ,s  born  where  it  lives.  In  that  sense  it  is 
always  or.g,nal.  There  can  be  no  other  kind.  Its 
source  is  tne  finite  spirit  who  brings  it  forth  The 
will  .s  ongmative;  free;  spontaneous;  and  sin  is  as 
spontaneous  as  the  will  which  causes  it.     Volitional 

and  temptation  for  its  misdirection.  These  are  the 
factors  of  sm.  Its  genesis  is  the  will.  It  arises  in 
the  mdividual  on  his  own  motion.  I„  „o  oilier  way 
can  It  get  the..  J.-v..  .:  f,  th  the  principle  in  de' 
claring  that  it  is  our  self-expression,  or  "what  comes 
r.^!HT  '^.^^^^fi^^th  him.  "Asamanthinketh 
n  his  heart,  so  is  he."  Sin  cannot  originate,  there- 
fore,  eveh  in  a  free  spirit,  until  sufficient  intelligence 

sel   a" Ton'^T^  '"^"^'/^^  ''"^  *°  '^'^  -P^-'^^ 
cho^      o       V     u-   """''^^^'   ^^'   ^^^'"'    h-«    his 
hn!  .;  Z  '  ^"  '""°''""  *°  '"^'■'  h'^  moral  self, 

hooci  to  discover.    The  whole  experience  is  original  in 
every  human  being.  ^ 

THE  FALL  OF  MAN 

How  then  shall  we  interpret  man's  fall?  As  fu.f 
s  own  there  is  a  self-caused  fall,  original  and  sin^ 
for  which  man  is  himself  responsible.     In  this  sense 

fart  of       !  J        ^^^^^^^'  ^^■••i«  not  once  for  all,  a 

fact  of  past  history,  and  true  ot  only  one  individual 

the  race;  ,t  is  a  univ^'-sal  experience  as  continuous 


^ 


^^^'        '      :l||i* 

^m$ 

m.-   ■ 

i 

I    •! 


»54    THE  SCFri.CE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 
as  the  development  n{  new  Mfe    and  tm^  r  ( 

solidarity  of  the  race  s^r^  *hl  <         r  ^ 

/  v/i  uic  race,  sur*!  the  mw  of  L'c'nerifir.n    fUo* 

-n  two  ways  he  is  expos.,i  •  ,  -.  .Ue„.' X   e  '  'a 
we  have  s   nvn,  .he  trend  ,  .  „„,„„■„„  ^as  Le„  On 
general)  upward;  ^t  .1.  a.-c.,,  has  Ue„  raarkedhv 
man,  nuc.ua.ions,  dev,a,  .„.,  „,,  ,  ever,io„s     ,  it  I 
"-ng  „de  „s  flowing  h  ,:  :  ,,.,     .con,pa,.,ed  by    ,a„v 
«cess,o„al  waves.     Era.  of  s„.,.„,,id';n  gross  have 
been  succeeded  by  periods  of  •„„.,.!,  /re,    J    ssi™ 
brdha,,,  advancement  by  inco,„prche„;,,lc  dc^ad'ce' 
Would  God  that  individuals  alone  c-.la  fa,       0?; 
commumtie.  fall,  and  nations,  and  wide  ,.retch,„K  «. 
P.re.    A  cvdi^tion  can  sicken  and  d,e.    Race,  d'ri  g 

Inh     IZ^   S^w  decrepit,  and   perish   from   the 

Z,      r    ,         '■■"'''''  "*  '"^  P^'h"'":  'I'-     ihe  fart 
tha   a  fa,hng  age,  like  a  sinking  sh,p,  tend.  .„  carr 

re^th    '  T"""  "■     ^'*  "»  ^P'"'^  -ho  can 
rest  the  suction  of  a  national  shipwreck  r 

.ary"fr'I'h,V  ''.^P"-""'  '°  -ff"    -  involun- 
tary  fall    thM  ,s  ,n  relation  to  ones  ancesira,  line     A 

person  may  commence  existence  worse-b.,rn  ihan  his 
parents,  owmg  ,0  their  immoralities.  I„  that  case  he 
evolutionary  stream  dips  where  he  enters  it  "  t 
h'.  blame,  but  to  his  disadvantage 

Over  against  this  unfortunate  fact,  we  may  note 
a  greater  truth.    The  majority  of  men,  the  .scJn::;;; 


i  ^  1 


TIIF.  ORIGIM  OF  SIN 


155 

race  attesting,  ar-  better-b,  m  than  their  .rogenitors 
because  ^f  the  ha.  ..arncd  m^ral  and  personal  qualities 
^hey  mherit.  I  nvevcr  gr.at  the  :aw  ma'onal  of 
Ken.us,  leaUersh...  or  p-.j-netir  ,er,  though  the 
crecht  n.uM  be  du.- to  otb  ^.  th  advantage  cnjoyc  is 
theirs.  Glorious  is  it  tu  reflect  hat  every  upv  -d 
ni.    inj,'  community  ,end.      .  cl.vai  •  c  ^ry  spirit  resi- 


•  ient  within  n      iLow  thrice 
trend  ptrsistti-  ly  o\     cohk 
the  r  4; It;   it  moiion  ,>  upward 
Of  cou    c  we  miKt      cognu 
tion  which  a-e  due  n(     'o  ^in, 
life.     It  woMld  see?  i  th  t  tli 
states  and  civi'izai  on,  r    tmbi 
that    instituti'  eu-t       s,    oi 

nates"  the  sp       of 
tude.    lec^v.      io  '■ay   iha    a 
morality  u     -Id  ha\     made-  a 
tion  permar   nt  ;      iruhably 
one  or  the  Mther  .      'd  hav^^ 
cratic  ^/ovc  nn  -nt,  or  I;     e 
=10!    •  of  the  koman  CI 
hui     uitv  ,  f  two  '  f  th 
n.en.al    fr    r-s,    .,-     seif-^ 
ctnsr      ce       The       ...litioi 
nee 

^  » 

progrt 

"  The  rdtr  cban 

Ana  ^o(I  fulfils  j 
Le^t  one  good  custom  s 


tif.v  1, 

I  op  I 

ch; 


li  at  I      '    ^ter 
iti    1,  and  that 


11' 


\v 


th   is     'i» 


truc- 
'  o 
s   fo, 
at  .        lU)  iduals; 
latt       er    "  incar- 
to  senility,  decrepi- 
religion  or  a  high 
past  type  of  civiliza- 
iiistake.     If  either  tlie 
Wished  forever  Auto- 
jo  ionp    '  the  despotic  au- 
!t  wo    J  have  defrauded 
h  U'ht  t  of  its  develop- 
'vernaient  and  liberty  of 
of  outgrown  customs   is 
X!       ion  of  deficient  stocks  unavoida- 
law  of  life  and  the  conditiai  of 


ding  place  to  the  new, 
If  in  many  ways, 
!:Ould  corrupt  the  world/' 


I  n 


!  m 

Hi 

II' 


ff 


156    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 
The  one  problem  need  not  obscure  the  other-  tem- 

temporal  order;  yet  indubitably  innumerable  state! 

co^TuZTd  "'°"f  r^'^  'y  licentiousness    Id 
CO  ruption.  and  every  fallen  empire  of  the  past  was 

hastened  to  ,ts  tragedy  by  sin.    Sin  is  always  a  /^Z 
sm  also.    And  never  ,s  sm  a  "  fall  upward."    Such  an 

arses^'^The       '"^°^''^°'^^  '"°^^-"^^'  "ir 
causes      The  general  trend  of  the  race,  we  sav    is 

forces  of  the  universe.     Within  this  comprehensive 
cTuIeTSl  %}T'^^  -y  ^all,  ty  4  a  s^f! 

text  ast  L  fr'".'  °''""  "'*''■"  *^^  ««<^'-J  <^on. 
text,  as  ,t  does  w.thm  the  universe,  but  it  is  in  conflict 
with  both,  and  with  self-a  downfall 

Should  it  be  said  that  by  sin  innocent  beings  break 
through  mto  the  moral  realm,  and  so  stumble  upwards 

and  (2)  the  occasion  to  new  effort  and  a  rise  in  tL 
scak  of  W„g.    The  crash  is  firs.  d„w„wa"d    I. 
what  happens  afterward  that  causes  the  ascent. 
But  one  other  question  must  delay  us.    Sin  bein» 

Lu^t  f    ■'IP''"™^?    Never  shall  we  be  able  to 
account  for  the  presence  of  sin  in  the  univerw  nor 
understand  why  God  did  not  forbear  man's  crTation 
untes  we  perccve  that  sin,  like  pain,  is  made  to  con 
tnbute  to  tnans  .levelopment.    Its  disaster  co„stitm« 
a  refo,l  tor  vntue.    Redemption  carries  to  a  differed 


THE  ORIGIN  OF  SIN  157 

and  higher  level.  Had  this  not  been  possible,  nay,  cer- 
tain, the  appalling  experience  of  sin  had  been  sufficient 
of  itself  to  deter  God  from  creative  activity;  or  com- 
pelled Him  to  stop  the  process,  even  v  '^en  once  started. 
In  Infinite  wisdom,  neither  the  one  nor  the  other  did 
He  do.  Progress  and  the  promise  of  God  are  proof  of 
a  culmination  worth  the  entire  cost.  "  He  shall  see 
of  the  travail  of  His  soul  and  shall  be  satisfied." 

But  would  not  such  a  conception  make  God  "the 
author  of  sin"?  By  no  means.  That  were  a  miscon- 
ception of  the  whole  problem.  God  wills  the  highest; 
makes  His  will  known;  and  sets  the  universe  to  resent 
all  infractions.  That  is  God's  side;  and  all  good.  But 
the  free  spirit  wilfully  resists  God  and  rejects  the 
highest  by  choosing  the  leer.  That  is  sin,  and  man 
with  his  spontaneous  and  originating  ^'  ill  is  wholly  its 
source. 

God  is  not  the  author  of  sin,  but  He  i«;  the  author 
of  a  being  who  can  sin.  That  fact  must  stay  in  our 
philosophy,  and  ought  to  have  weight  in  considering 
the  problem. 


"  And  as  I  saw  the  sin  and  death,  even  so 
See  I  the  need  yet  transiency  of  both; 
The  good  and  glory  consummated  thence." 

Of  course  there  is  much  in  human  conduct,  incon- 
sistent with  God's  will,  which  is  not  sin.    And  that 
not  for  the  child  alone,  but  also  for  the  adult.    No  one 
can  study  experience  without  seeing  that  through  mis- 
take, we  break  through  the  unknown  into  an  acquaint- 


i 


158    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

Th",?  ""' u  1^7"^^^^^^  ^"d  a  knowledge  of  God's  laws 

It  went  "'  "  "°  ^^'^^^  "^^-  E-^^  --t-'^e. 
rp.l  ?7'^  ''"'  '"'''"'  '^'  ^'^'"^  '"Mention  if  it 
results  not  ultimately  in  good.     It  ought  to  produce 

rr  'Z      •  ^'"  r"  *'^  "'°'^  experience  wasted 
igedy.''        "  "^  '°  ''^  ^"  "^^  ^^  ^  ^^«ted 

The  treatment  of  our  theme  remains  incomplete 
however  until  it  be  recognized  that  just  as  the  individ- 
ual  discovers  within  himself  a  world  of  warring  forces 
amidst  which  he  must  be  arbiter,  so  he  finds  him 
exposed  to  an  external  world  of  contending  for 
good  and  evil,  which  on  the  one  hand  aid  him  to 
virtue;  and  on  the  other,  lure  him  to  wrong.     Th  s 

soTribI  '"  '''  ''"^^"^  ^"'  ^^"'P^^*--  -h^^h  play 
so  ternble  a  part  m  every  individual's  career. 


1^1 


XIV 
TEMPTERS  AND  TEMPTATION 

THERE  was  once  a  time  in  the  common  beliefs 
of  the  people  when  Satan  was  conceived  as 
almost  the  equal  of  God— and  very  much  more 
successful.  Not  only  had  he  spoiled  God's  new  crea- 
tion, but  after  the  ruined  race  was  bought  back  at 
Calvary,  still  Satan  was  supposed  to  retain  in  his 
power  every  human  being  born  into  the  world.  All 
that  God  could  get  in  His  own  universe  were  few.  and 
these  were  secured  at  great  cost. 

So  prominent  a  place  did  this  conception  assign  to 
the  Evil  One  that  God  was  unconsciously  made  sec- 
ondary in  His  own  world.    But  a  change  is  slowly 
taking  place;  not  so  much  perhaps  in  theology  proper- 
—for  creeds,  like  ice,  break  only  with  a  new  summer 
-as  in  the  current  preaching  of  the  Gospel.     From 
his  place  of  prominence  in  old-time  sermons  Satan  has 
fallen  into  manifest  neglect.     Nor  is  it  in  sermons 
alone  that  silence  is  felt.    A  similar  silence  has  come 
all  unconsciously  into  our  daily  conversation     Nay 
into  our  literature  too.     For  this  phenomenon  there 
must  be  some  cause.    What  is  it? 

In  the  first  plar-    we  do  not  feel  tl  o  same  need  of 
a  Demoniacal  F  it  our  forefathers  did.     They 

could  not  get  on  %       .ut  his  kgency.     It  was  not  pos- 

159 


i6o    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

sible  for  tl  em  to  account  for  the  events  of  everyday 
life,  nor  tp-  ordi-'ary  disturbances  of  nature  without 
the  aid  ci  sfune  such  Being.  If  an  eclipse  of  sun  or 
moon  took  place  its  dire  and  far-flowing  evils  were 
supposed  to  be  his  doing.  Devastating  storms  and  epi- 
demics, pestilence  and  insanity,  fits  and  eruptions, 
famine  and  a  thousand  other  things  were  ascribed  to 
the  host  under  his  malign  leadership.  Earth  and  air, 
wood  and  water  were  peopled  with  sprites  and  demons 
by  whose  aid  witches  were  enabled  to  kill  cattle,  cause 
thunderstorms,  or  start  desolating  plagues  The  evil 
eye,  and  all  necromancy,  a  nameless  world  of  fanciful 
forces,  were  entirely  under  Satan's  control. 

The  sympathy  of  an  age  like  ours,  real  though  it  be, 
can  scarcely  do  justice  to  the  feelings  and  beliefs  of 
earlier  ages.  IVe  do  not  need  Satanic  agency  to  ac- 
count for  eclipse,  or  earthquake,  fits,  or  pestilence. 
But  early  peoples  had  no  other  way  of  interpreting 
the  facts  of  experience.  Nor  had  they  sufficient  ac- 
quaintance with  God's  faithful  forces  to  prevent  them 
from  creating  whole  realms  and  worlds  of  fictitious 
beings  clothed  with  imaginary  powers. 

We  are  far  enough  advanced  to  see  that  part  of 
this,  at  least,  was  superstition.  But  was  it  all?  Is 
there  not  a  Devil?  Yea,  verily,  devil  enough.  The 
name  stands  for  a  hard  reality,  whose  Home  is  nearer 
us  than  we  have  been  accustomed  to  think;  yet  never 
existed  the  kind  of  a  Being  which  superstitious  ages 
conceivcil.  God  reigns  throughout  the  universe — in 
the  earth,  the  air,  the  heaven.  In  a  sense  in  which 
even  the  Psalmist  could  not  imagine  it,  "The  earth. 


il.lii 


TEMPTERS  AND  TEMPTATION  i6i 
is  the  Lord's  and  the  fulness  thereof;  the  world  and 
they  that  dwell  therein."  No  region  can  there  be 
where  God  is  not  Sovereign.  Never  was  there  an 
evil  ;p,nt  who  possessed  the  power  imputed  by  early 
people  to  Satan.  God  alone  is  Infinite;  every  devil 
at  h,s  best  is  but  finite.  Let  us  give  this  fact  its  due 
place  m  our  thinking.  To  ascribe  omnipresence  to  a 
finite  being  would  be  to  clothe  it  with  attributes  pos- 
sessed alone  by  Deity.  God  only  is  Omnipotent  and 
Omnipresent.    No  enemy  stands  in  the  same  class. 

Again,  no  devil  is  nrcded  to  recount  for  the  exist- 
ence of  sin.    The  first  sin  committed  in  the  universe 
(before  there  could  be  such  a  creature  as  a  "  fallen 
angel ")  must  have  been  committed  without  demoni- 
acal assistance.    There  was  no  devil  to  help  make  the 
first  devil.     Where  did  he  come  from?     How  came 
he  to  sin?    If  a  spirit  anywhere,  at  any  time,  could 
sin  without  a  tempter,  any  spirit,  anywhere,  can  do 
the  same  thing.    Hence  it  is  incontestably  clear  that 
no  devil  is  needed  to  account  for  the  existence  of  sin 
it  arose  spontaneously  in  a  wilful  spirit;  and  this  we 
have  setxn.  is  the  la.v  -  f  sin.     It  is  absolutely  intrans- 
missible.   It  arises  where  it  lives. 
But  is  there  no  such  thing  as  temptation? 
Assuredly ;  pathetically;  cruelly ;  temptation  is  a  fact. 
To  see  innocence  allured  to  sin  by  a  being  already 
fallen  is  to  witness  the  most  pathetic  spectacle  in  the 
universe.     To  think  of  fair  chastity  exposed  to  the 
temptation  of  a  rake;  or  chaste  youth  in  the  toils  of 
a  courtesan;  is  to  see  that  which  is  divine  exposed 
to  a  cruelty  worse  than  death.     Where  selfishness  for 


n  - 


:1  ''; 


163    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

gain  of  gold,  preys  upon  honour,  virtue,  and  innocence, 
there  is  temptation,  and  there — however  they  may  be 
clothed,  are  devils. 

The  finite  spirit  is  exposed  to  two  kinds  of  tempta- 
tion. One  is  internal ;  the  other  external.  This  clas- 
sification is  exhaustive. 

INTERNAL  TEMPTATION 

"  A  man  is  tempted  when  he  is  led  away  of  his  own 
lusts  and  enticed."  This  is  psychologically  true  and 
exhibits  the  primary  law  of  temptation.  We  need  no 
Satan  to  accotmt  for  sexual  sin.  Human  lust  is  quite 
sufiicient.  No  devil  is  needed  to  induce  some  men  to 
cheat  their  fellows,  or  in  hate  and  revenge  to  plot  their 
injury.  Raw  and  imperfect  humanity  is  capable  of 
itself  without  any  superhuman  assistance  to  devise  and 
effect  these  things — ^and  to  be  responsible  for  them 
too. 


EXTERNAL  TEMPTATION 

As  above  indicated,  other  persons,  for  the  sake  of 
gain  or  pleasure,  for  hatred  or  revenge,  or  at  times 
out  of  ^>ure  perversity,  will  take  pains  to  lead  the 
unwary  astray.  That  this  is  "  demoniacal  "  is  shown 
by  the  cast  of  the  word.  By  whomsoever  such  villainy 
is  perpetrated,  it  is  the  devil's  own  work. 

So  far  as  we  know  outside  tempters,  they  are 
clothed  in  flesh,  and  are  human,  or  rather  inhuman. 
But  the  question  arises,  are  there  not  evil  spirits  that 
are  discarnate  devils  who  enter  a  person  and  tempt 
him  from  within?    Is  there  no  such  "real"  devil. 


■p  r'-suc 


TEMPTERS  AND  TEMPTATION        163 

or  host  of  devils?  To  some  tnis  may  seem  a  very 
serious  question.  But  since  no  devil  is  needed  to  ac- 
count for  the  origin  of  sin,  and  none  required  to 
explain  present  evil  conditions,  why  introduce  any  such 
being?  If  God  had  needed  a  devil  to  help  discipline 
the  world  He  would  have  crcted  one.  As  a  matter 
of  fact  He  did  not. 

Still,  however,  there  is  a  problem  here.    As  a  fact 
of  experience  we  know  that  finite  spirits  in  the  flesh 
do  tempt  one  another  to  evil.     Also,  we  have  been 
accustomed  to  think  that  good  people  when  they  die 
become  ministering  spirits  free  to  help  and  comfort 
human  pilgrims  who  are  left  behind  them  to  continue 
life's  journey.    The   question,   therefore,    inevitably 
arises,  might  not  bad  persons  when  they  become  dis- 
carnate,  desire  to  exert  some  corresponding  malign 
power  over  us?    If  we  hold  that  the  blessed  dead  can 
influence  living  beings,  it  would  seem  to  follow  as 
a  corollary  that  evilly  disposed  spirits,  though  disem- 
bodied, might  be  able  to  injure  or  lead  us  astray. 
From  such  a  conclusion  there  seems  to  be  no  escape. 
Against  it,  however,  there  is  a  powerful  argument,  but 
it  cannot  be  presented  until  we  deal  with  the  conditions 
of  finite  spirits  after  death.* 

What  is  most  important  to  a  true  conception  of 
sin  is  to  perceive  that  no  temptation  becomes  a  temp- 
tation until  it  is  entertained  by  a  free  spirit  as  his 
own  thought;  and  after  examination,  is  so  identified 
with  himself  that  it  becomes  his.  It  can  gain  ad- 
mission only  by  his  consent.    It  is  an  external  thing 

•FiV//Ghap.  XX. 


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164    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

until  he  adopts  it.  From  that  moment  it  belongs  to 
the  primary  type  and  he  "  is  led  away  of  his  own 
lusts  and  enticed,"  as  much  as  though  the  thought 
had  arisen  within  him  spontaneously.  This  principle 
is  fundamental.  Demons  incarnate  or  discamate, 
have  no  influence  until  admitted.  A  man  may  be  at- 
tacked or  approached  by  tempters,  but  they  are  power- 
less until  their  victim  begins  to  think  their  thought, 
or  enter  into  their  design.  Just  as  hypnotism  is  not 
eflFectual  until  the  subject  begins  to  entertain  the  sug- 
gestion of  the  hypnotist,  and  so  is  self -hypnotized; 
or,  hypnotized  by  self-suggestion,  so  no  man  is 
tempted  until  the  temptation  becomes  subjective— a 
self-movement  toward  evil. 

Among  theologies  which  teach  the  existence  of  a 
Devil,  something  after  the  Persian  idea,  as  almost  co- 
equal with  God,  two  types  of  feeling  are  manifest. 
Some  believers  lament  his  existence,  and  view  it  as  a 
sad  fatality  that  innocent  creatures  should  be  victims 
of  such  Demoniacal  malice.    Others  rejoice  in  their 
belief;  because  it  is  claimed  that  the  existence  of  such 
a  bemg  serves  to  relieve  humanity  of  ultimate  re- 
sponsibility for  the  world's  wickedness.    Like  Mrs 
Catharine  Booth,  they  "take  comfort"  in  so  laying 
the  blame,  and  in  thinking  human  beings  are  not  so 
bad  as  they  would  be  were  they  the  authors  of  their 
own  sm.     Such  philosophy  by  placing  responsibility 
on  an  imagmary  source  reduces  the  heinousness  of 
sm  precisely  where  it  originates;  and  where  conviction 
niust   be   produced   before   transformation   can   be 
effected.    Let  us,  therefore,  strive  to  see  sin  where  it 


TEMPTERS  AND  TEMPTATION  165 
is,  and  black  as  it  is.  Also  let  m  realize  that  we  are 
great  enough  to  account  for  all  the  sin  that  exists! 
and  D,v,ne  enough  to  be  responsible  therefor-to 

InT'fl'  ^  """''  """"'"■°"  "''  '■"  ''  "is  own. 
In  the  flesh,  or  out  of  it,  responsibility  rests  UDon 
"ery  be,ng  who  tempts  another,  and  tLV^^t 

ne  fails    n  effect.ng  his  purpose.    If  he  plotted  to 
do  evd;  though  he  failed,  yet  is  he  guilty     If  he 

yetTht  '"^r^T'i"'™^''  """^  ^"^  his  lot 

djf^,        .^'^-  •"  "^"'^'>-     Responsibility  is 

nd,v,dual,  and  personal,  and  rests  wholly  betw«„ 

the  fimte  sp.nt  and  the  Infinite.     Into  these  dZs 


HI 


1 1I 


XV 
PROBLEMS  AND  FACTS  OF  SALVATION 

IT  is  a  mark  of  our  finiteness  and  immaturity  that 
for  so  great  a  proportion  of  our  science  we  have 
to  draw  a  strong  distinction  between  fact  and 
theory.  Where  causes  become  known,  as  under  ad- 
vancing knowledge  they  do,  theories  tend  to  disappear 
—displaced,  or  rather  transformed  into  laws.  The 
theory  of  universal  gravitation,  for  instance,  lived 
long  in  Newton's  mind  before  he  was  able  to  announce 
an  attested  law.  Certain  uniformities  in  the  com- 
bination of  chemical  elements  suggested  to  many 
chemists  an  underlying  unity  years  before  Mendeleeff 
proved  the  "  periodic  law,"  which  enabled  him  to  fulfil 
prophecy  in  the  discovery  of  new  elements,  as  Galle 
fulfilled  the  predictions  of  Adams  and  Leverrier  by 
the  discovery  of  the  planet  Neptune.  Where  per- 
sonal qualities,  such  as  volition,  feeling,  and  emotion, 
enter  as  factors  into  a  science  it  can  never  become 
exact;  yet  with  developing  knowledge  even  the  inex- 
act sciences  are  becoming  more  definite.  And  every 
day  generalizations  are  carrying  us  nearer  to  the  heart 
of  truth. 

It  is  nothing  new  in  Theology  to  draw  the  distinc- 
tion above  indicated,  because  for  ages  the  "  fact "  of 
salvation  has  been  accompanied  by  many  divergent 

166 


i£  ■'« 


PROBLEMS  AND  FACf  S  OF  SA  .VATION    167 

"  theories  "  of  atonement.     The  fact  of  spiritual  re- 
newal shines  in  the  experience  of  every  regenerate 
soul,  but  a  theory,  or  adequate  explanation,  of  such 
an  experience  may  not  be  clear  to  any  one.     Our  diffi- 
culty IS  not  so  much  with  the  facts,  as  with  their  ex- 
planation, yet  the  true  explanation  when  it  comes  will 
undoubtedly  add  greatly  to  our  appreciation  of  the 
facts.     A  prin^itive  people  might  inquire,  with  some 
appearance  of  wisdom,  what  difierence  it  could  make 
what  theory  is  held  regarding,  for  example,  the  sun  ? 
So  long  as  we  have  sunshine  and  harvest,  why  should 
we  care  what  the  sun  is,  or  how  it  is  regarded  ?    So 
naive  a  conception  makes  no  appeal  to  a  scientific 
era,  for  everybody  realizes  that  it  does  make  a  differ- 
ence whether  we  think  of  the  sun  as  "  a  god  driving 
his  flaming  chariot  across  the  sky  "  or  know  it  as  the 
all-controlling  centre  of  our  planetary  system.     We 
need  an  adequate  theory  of  tht-  sun  to  make  our  think- 
ing true  and  to  extend  the  dominion  of  intellect  in  the 
universe.     In  discovering  that  our  system  is  helio- 
centric Copernicus  enormously  advanced  the  human 
race  in  knowledge  and  the  conquest  of  nature.     Is  it 
not  possible,  too,  that  an  adequate  theory  of  the  atone- 
ment might  greatly  refine  our  conceptions  and  advance 
our  worship  of  God?    At  any  rate  it  is  necessary  first 
to  consider  the  facts  of  salvation;  tht  a,  if  possible, 
to  discover  the  theory,  or  explanation  of  the  facts. 

THE  FACTS  OF  SALVATION 

What  does  salvation  save  us  from?    And  what 
does  it  save  us  to?    Time  was,  not  so  very  long  ago. 


i68    THE  SCIENXE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

when  the  common  answer  to  these  questions  would 
have  been  that  sa!  ation  saves  the  soul  from  hell;  and 
that  it  saves  it  to  Heaven.  SaK  ation  w:.r  -t,  indeed, 
dated  from  death,  but  its  real  wor*!i  aiici  significance 
was  estimated  frcjin  that  event;  because  the  dissolu- 
tion of  ilie  body  was  regarded  as  the  express  result 
cf  sin;  and  because  death  was  the  gate  to  the  soul's 
endless  destiny. 

In  early  theology  "  death  "  was  always  thought  of 
as  the  death  of  the  body.  Furthermore  it  was  as- 
sumed (without  any  careful  examination  of  nature) 
that  had  man  not  sinr.ed,  physical  dissolution  would 
not  have  taken  place.  In  both  respects  unfolding 
revelation  has  served  to  enlarge,  as  well  as  to  correct, 
our  conceptions.  Death  is  now  seen  to  be  as  manifold 
as  the  corresponding  phases  of  life  which  it  destroys. 
While  salvation  (though  '^^  c.nnot  and  never  was 
intended  to  make  the  tem^  .T^il  and  transient  eternal) 
is  found  to  be  as  nianifoiJ  as  f'le  multiplex  nature 
of  man.  The  old  error  probably  arose  from  thinking 
of  death  in  physical  terms,  but  of  life  in  spiritual 
terms.  So  completely  still  is  the  death  of  the  body 
allowed  to  occupy  attention  that  the  significance  of 
any  other  kind  of  "death"  is  either  not  discerned 
or  but  very  indefinitely  conceived.  Whereas,  not  bod- 
ily death,  but  mental,  moral,  and  spiritual  injury  con- 
stitute the  most  dcidly  and  the  only  lasting  destruc- 
tion which  sin  can  produce,  and  presents  theology 
with  its  one  supreme  problem. 

Physical  death  because  it  is  physical;  while  sin  is 
essentially  spiritual;  must  be  entirely  inadequate  to 


PROBLEMS  AND  FACTS  OF  SALVATION    169 

parallel   mental,    moral,   and   spiritual   transgression. 
At  best  man's  physical  organism  belongs  but  to  the 
temporal  order.     Its  constituents  are  material.    From 
dust  it  came;  to  dust  it  must  return;  its  use  and 
purpose  being  temporary.     But   free  spiritual  exist- 
ence requires  release  from  all  temporal  limitations. 
And  smce  deliverance  from  the  body  is  essential  to 
maturer  spiritual  experience,  it  b..ould  not  be  regretted 
nor  regarded  as  a  penalty  for  sin.     It  is  an  error  to 
suppose  that  had  man  not  sinned  his  physical  organism 
would  have  lived  forever.    That  were  l..  be  impris- 
oned forever  in  carnal  relations.    Whereas  God's  pro- 
gressive  life  provid.  s  release  from  the  healthful  pas- 
sions of  the  flesh,  as  well  as  from  their  abnormal 
burning,  by  entrance  upon  a  super-physical  stage  of 
existence. 

What  this  signifies  will  be  mrrg  apparent  shortly 
but  It  must  be  seen  that  God's  purpose  i-;  to  give  man 
a     spiritual"     xperience,  hence  man  ■  essence 

and  ..ennanently,  a  spin..  Also,  ihat  ;  ;.^  ,  sted 
fact  of  science,  physicar death  precedea  b  ,i,.  ent 
ot  man.  Numberless  orders  of  animal  lite  c  ,>.  into 
being  and  passed  away  before  man  appeared.  Only 
orchis  lower  side  is  he  related  to  the  animal  world 
and  the  physical  order.  On  his  higher  side  he  is  de- 
lated to  the  Great  Spirit. 

Of  course  the  physical  organism  is  involved  .u  ihe 
ruin  caused  by  sin,  for  sin  not  only  hastens  bodily 
dissolution  but  renders  it  odious,  offensive,  disgust- 
ing, and  miposes  u:)on  mankind  tortures  which  ought 
never  to  be  experienced  in  the  universe. 


I70    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 


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If  we  are  to  discern  clearly  the  nature  of  the 
"  death  "  which  "  salvation  "  saves  us  from,  we  must 
observe  that  spiritual  death  is  an  entirely  different 
thing  from  physical  death.  The  body  can  cease  to 
exist,  the  soul  never  can.  To  the  body  death  brings 
unconsciousness;  to  the  soul  it  cannot.  The  difference 
is  radical.  Always  must  it  be  remembered  that  spirit- 
ual death  is  not  extinction.  In  that  sense  the  soul 
cannot  die.  It  must  persist.  Though  "  dead  "  it  can- 
not get  rid  of  consciousness.  That  is  its  hell.  If  sin 
could  annihilate  a  spirit,  could  blot  it  quite  out  of 
existence,  then  sin  were  not  so  dreadful.  As  it  is,  sin 
is  the  death  of  an  indestructible  thing,  u  life  which 
though  "  dead  "  continues  in  being.  The  wages  of 
sin  is  not  annihilation,  but  death;  not  extinction,  but 
distortion,  embitterment,  "  hell."  Undying,  but  ab- 
normal, the  difference  between  its  "  death  "  and  its 
"life"  being  a  difference  of  condition.  In  the  one 
case  it  is  out  of  harmony  with  God  and  the  universe ; 
in  the  other  it  is  right  with  God  and  the  universe. 
The  one  condition  is  an  abnormal  spiritual  existence; 
the  other  normal  spiritual  life. 

Inestimable  as  is  our  debt  to  Professor  Henry 
Drummond,  yet  must  it  be  pointed  out  that  a  mere 
"  lack  of  correspondence  "  is  generically  different  from 
the  breaking  of  a  correspondence  A  "  tree  "  or  a 
"  bud  "  cannot  be  said  to  be  "  dead  "  because  it  lacks 
correspondence  with  a  spiritual  environment.  Tree 
and  bud  have  indeed  a  lower  life  than  man,  and 
in  that  sense  are  less  living,  but  it  is  erroneous  to 
say  of  either,  for  this  reason,  that  "  it  may  truly  be 


PROBLEMS  AND  FACTS  OF  SALVATION    171 

said  to  be  dead."  *  Without  destruction  of  life  there 
can  be  no  "  death,"  for  the  very  significance  of  death 
is  its  injury  or  destruction.  Neither  tree  nor  bud  has 
suffered  death  to  become  what  it  is.  Neither  is  a  blot 
on  nature,  nor  a  discredit  to  its  Creator.  Each  is  per- 
fectly normal,  and  would  not  fulfil  God's  purpose  were 
it  anything  else.  The  narrower  life  of  tree  or  bud 
brings  with  it  not  condetnnation.  The  same  truth 
applies  to  normal  human  immaturity;  for  nothing  in 
the  universe  is  condemned  but  what  is  abnonnal.  A 
human  foetus,  for  example,  neither  sees  nor  hears,  and 
in  that  respect  resembles  a  man  blind  and  deaf,  yet 
is  the  latter  abnormal  and  suffering  "  partial  death," 
while  the  other  enjoys  normal  life.  A  child  needs  no 
*'  salvation  "  from  babyhood,  all  it  needs  is  develop- 
ment; its  condition  being  as  normal  in  the  cradle  as 
in  adult  existence. 

What  we  are  dealing  with  is  "  sin  "  and  its  "  wages," 
from  which  man  needs  salvation.  This,  too,  is  the 
problem  which  Professors  Drummond  and  Coe  in 
widely  different  ways  are  treating,  wherein  both  would 
seem  to  confuse  the  development  of  normal  powers, 
with  the  conquest  of  abnorfnal  conditions.  Iff  the 
former  case  the  term  "  salvation  "  would  be  a  mis- 
nomer. From  normal  conditions  advancement  is  but 
'»  process  of  growth,  training,  education.  Frim  ab- 
normal, to  normal  conditions,  is  a  process  of  cure, 
restoration,  redemption.  Normal  childhood,  for  in- 
stance, requires  only  development;  but  when  stricken 
with  cancer  or  blood  poisoning  requires,  first,  rescue 

*"  Natural  Law  in  the  Spiritual  World,"  Chap.  IV. 


Hi 


4r 


ra 


1:i 


11 


172    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

from  abnormal  conditions,  and  afterward  develop- 
ment. Consequently  to  call  education  or  growth  "  sal- 
vation" confuses  under  one  term  two  quite  distinct 
ideas. 

The  salvation  which  saves  from  "  death,"  saves  to 
life  eternal.  What  is  meant  by  "  eternal  life  "  need 
not  detain  us  since  all  are  agreed  that  God's  life  be- 
comes ours,  and  transcends  description,  but  its  com- 
mencement, variously  described  as  regeneration,  con- 
version, salv?  "on,  or  the  new  birth  requires  considera- 
tion as  a  pro^.em  of  capital  importance  in  the  exposi- 
tion of  theologfy. 

By  way  of  clearing  the  ground,  it  should  be  ob- 
served that  though  the  Scriptures  contain  an  endless 
variety    of    expressions    regarding    the    experience 
whereby  transgressors  are  saved,  still  the  varied  de- 
scriptions refer,  not  to  many,  but  to  one  central  ex- 
perience.    Men  are  represented,  for  example,  as  pol- 
luted, and  must  be  cleansed;  as  sinners,  and  must  be 
pardoned;  as  lost,  and  must  be  found.     Slaves,  they 
must  be  ransomed;  sold,  they  must  be  redeemed;  re- 
belliou.?,  they  must  be  reconciled  to  God;  guilty,  they 
must  be  justified;  vile,  they  must  be  pure;  dead,  they 
must  be  made  alive,  or  born  anew.     However  varied, 
the  descriptions  which  set  it  forth  represent  but  phases 
or  symbols  of  a  single  fundamental  reality.     To  the 
preacher  and  teacher  this  multiplicity  of  presentation 
is  of  enormous  advantage  because  the  gospel  has  to 
be  preached  to  all  shades  and  conditions  of  men,  and 
made  clear  to  different  types  of  mind.     But  for  the 


PROBLEMS  AND  FACTS  OF  SALVATION    173 

student  and  theologian  it  is  essential  to  discriminate 
between  the  reality  and  any  and  every  figure  which 
may  be  employed  to  set  it  forth.  No  imperfect  symbol 
of  salvation,  nor  any  single  phase  of  the  experience, 
should  be  allowed  to  stand  for  or  obscure  the  central 
fact.  Yet  in  our  thinking  we  are  liable  to  fall  into 
this  mistake. 

When  Jesus  addressed  the  masses  He  preached  in 
parables;  "and  without  a  parable  spake  He  not  unto 
them,"  but  when  the  cultured  Rabbi  Nicodemus  came 
within  range  of  His  influence.  He  made  him  channel 
of  the  ultimav   revelation  and  express  truth  regarding 
spiritual  life.     No  one  can  get  it  except  by  quickening 
from  above;  a  voluntary  and  intelligent  surrender  to 
God's  transformation.     "  Except  a  man  be  born  from 
above  "  he  cannot  "  see,"  that  is,  cannot  even  perceive 
the  kingdom.     He  is  not  only  an  outsider,  but  cannot 
even  discern  the  nature  of  that  realm.     "  That  which 
is  born  of  the  spirit  is  spirit."     Indescribable,  because 
absolutely  unique  and  unparalleled,  the  new  birth  may 
be  enjoyed  by  a  personal  experience,  wherein  we  dis- 
cover that  it  is  more  and  other  than  anything  indi- 
cated by  any  of  the  symbols  quoted  above,  or  than  all 
of  them  taken  together. 

It  is  vastly  more,  for  instance,  than  "  cleansing," 
although  this  term  is  frequently  employed  as  equiva- 
lent to  redemption.  Scripture  abounds  with  such  ex- 
pressions as  "  Wash  me  and  I  shall  be  whiter  than 
snow,"  "  The  blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  His  Son,  cleanseth 
us  from  all  sin,"  "  Washed  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb," 
etc.    When,  however,  the  most  is  said,  the  phrases 


174    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

"  to  wash  "  and  "  to  cleanse  "  mean  no  more  than 
to  make  clean.  When  the  cleansing  is  over  we  have 
the  same  being  we  had  before  his  defilement.  The 
figure  contains  no  suggestion  of  transformation,  or 
of  advancement  to  a  higher  order  of  life,  both  of 
which  the  new  birth  implies.  Suppose  we  test  the 
idea  by  applying  to  King  David  the  language  of  the 
Fifty-first  Psalm.  "  Wash  me  and  I  shall  be  whiter 
than  snow,"  suggests  but  cleansing  from  past  sin;  the 
petition  granted,  the  old  David  would  still  be  left. 
But  should  the  prayer  "  Create  in  me  a  clean  heart," 
be  answered,  we  should  have  a  new  David — a  higher 
order  of  being.  Spiritual  renewal  carries  a  man 
further  forward  in  his  eternal  development,  admitting 
him  to  a  new  realm.  He  is  not  the  old  creature 
cleansed;  but  "a  new  creation." 

Again,  the  term  "  pardon  "  though  often  employed 
of  salvation  and  unconsciously  accepted  as  equivalent 
to  new  birth  is  also  partial  and  inadequate.  A  person 
pardoned,  either  in  the  courtroom  or  the  Home,  may 
still  be  wrong  in  nature — pardoned  but  not  changed; 
while  spiritual  renewal  signifies  an  entire  change  of 
being.  Pardon  refers  to  the  past;  new  birth  to  the 
future;  not  merely  correcting  the  wrong  behind  us, 
but  the  wrong  within  us,  and  so  creating  a  new  being 
in  the  universe.  "  Pardon  "  tends  to  direct  attention 
to  the  sins  that  have  been  committed ;  "  new  birth  " 
to  the  person  requiring  change.  One  phrase  lends 
itself  to  the  idea  of  "  imputations,"  the  "  passing  over  " 
of  sins,  and  "  transfers  "  of  merit ;  which  are  quite 


Mi 


PROBLEMS  AND  FACTS  OF  SALVATION    175 

impossible  where  vital  changes  take  place,  as  in  spirit- 
ual birth  and  development. 

Redemption  therefore  is  a  unique  experience  in- 
volving more  than  all  that  is  implied  by  the  figures 
r.vd  to  represent  it.  Let  us  now  examine  this  ex- 
perience, which  we  deem  central,  and  which  Jesus 
described  variously  as  "born  anew,"  "bom  from 
above,"  "  born  of  the  Spirit,"  and  "  bom  of  God." 

Birth  physical  and  birth  spiritual  alike  signify  the 
advent  of  new  life.  In  this  respect  identical,  spiritual 
differs  from  physical  birth  by  the  presenct  of  entirely 
new  elements,  three  of  which  must  be  considered,  viz., 
volition,  intelligence,  and  faith. 

Regarding    physical    birth,    no    one    is    consulted 
whether  he  shall  have  existence  or  not.     Whether  he 
shall  be  born  in  Asia  or  Europe,  in  the  first  or  the 
twenty-first  century.     One  commences  life  the  child 
of   saintly   parentage    possessing   regal    heritage    of 
health  and  genius;  another  slum-born,  diseased  and 
deficient,  starts  his  career  among  criminals;  and  no 
single  individual  responsible  for  the  differences.     Is 
it  fair?    Deals  God  equitably  with  His  children.?    Not 
irreverently  are  these  questions  asked,  but  to  bring 
into  prominence  a  vital  principle.     For  the  thrusting 
of  existence  upon  countless  millions  of  beings,  -with- 
out their  consent,  would  seem  from  the  human' stand- 
point to  involve  an  awful  responsibility.     Yet  that  re- 
sponsibility God  assumes.     Involuntarily  every  man 
of   us   started   upon    life's    difficult   and    dangerous 
journey. 

Were  this  the  total  truth,  not  a  few  of  us  might 


\sf 


#ll 


176    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

justly  feel  that  the  lines  had  fallen  to  us  in  trying 

places.     But  ,t  is  by  no  means  the  whole  truth-  ii 

but  reports  life's  initial  stage,  without  indicating  'the 

^nd  of  „fe  God  gives  us,  or  the  respect  in  which 

He  does  consult  us  regarding  our  career.     Squarely 

does  God  deal  with  every  man.     The  life  He  bestows 

IS  H,s  own  life,  in  essence  divine,  and  potentially  in- 

destrucfble.     By  way  of  preparation  for  its  fulfilment 

He  dowers  the  bemg  that  is  yet  to  be  with  intelligence- 

in  hun  hunger-ideals;  and  moves  upon  him  by  His 

^^r  T\   ""''  °"^^  ^°'  '^"^  «^  ^--«  h-^bo« 
with  an  ethically  striving  universe,  wherein  the  way 

of  the  transgressor  is  hard,  while  the  path  of  the  just 

.s  as  a  shmmg  light.    Then,  at  the  proper  stage  o 

his  development.  He  consults  him  regarding  his  des 

iny   virtually  asking.  "Are  you  satLd  with  ytr 

ou.ht  mV°"  ?'l^°"  ^^"'  *°  ^?  °^  what  you 
ought  to  be.^  In  humiliation,  and  as  part  of  the 
Divine  economy,  all  must  answer  "  No  "    That  is 

Tvefvlf  ^"'r'  °"^  '"P^^^^^*'-    Since  fir 
every  man  who  acknowledges  his  need,  and  hungers 
for  h,gher  life.  God  undertakes  to  make  existence^ 
only  satisfactory,  but  so  far  to  transcend  ear^?^.  high 

neither  hath  it   entered  into  the  heart  of  man  to 
tharvVr:^^^  ^^^^^  ^^^  '^^'  P^^^ed  forTheL^ 

elemlf "''/'  '^'■"''  "P°"  "^'  •'"*  ^'  commences  in 
dementary  forms  and  gradually  progresses  to  stages 
where  we  are  enabled  to  comprehend  its  significance. 


L 


PROBLEMS  AND  FACTS  OF  SALVATION   177 

and  assume  our  responsibility  for  determining  its  cast. 
Spiritual  birth,  therefore,  differs  from  physical  birth, 
by  the  exercise  of  faculties  quite  absent  from  the  lat- 
ter. First,  intelligence  is  required  to  render  it  a  con- 
scious experience.  Secondly,  it  involves  volition;  the 
free  spirit  choosing,  or  willing  his  career,  not  in  vacuo, 
but  under  the  tender  drawing  of  Divine  love. 
Thirdly,  it  necessitates  the  exercise  of  spiritual  re- 
ceptivity—the function  of  faith. 

Wherefore,  to  sum  up,  the  central  problem  of  sal- 
vation resolves  itself  into  a  method  of  producing  from 
the  spiritually  unborn;— abnormal,  distorted,  wilful, 
beings— normal  spiritual  life.  The  experience  itself, 
biological  in  nature  and  known  as  new  birth,  repre- 
sents a  transformation  of  the  being;  advancing  it  to  a 
higher  order  of  life;  and  this  experience,  involving  as 
it  does  the  intelligence,  faith,  and  volition  of  the  sub- 
ject, enables  him  to  co-will  and  co-labour  with  God 
in  making  his  destiny  divine. 

Now  we  turn  to  the  explanations  assigned  for  the 
operation  of  the  mystery. 


XVI 


"1)1  i 


THEORIES  OF  SALVATION 

BECAUSE  the  experience  of  spiritual  renewal  is 
a  reality  it  seems  quite  normally  related  to 
other  realities.  Only  when  we  come  to  ask 
questions  about  it  do  we  find  ourselves  in  a  troubled 
theological  sea.  Even  then  our  difficulties  are  not 
so  much  with  the  "  mystery  "  involved  as  with  ex- 
planations of  the  mystery  already  current. 

Were  it  asked,  for  example,  how  the  Eternal  Parent 
comes  to  do  such  a  thing  as  to  change  the  nature  of 
His  erring  child  ?  A  perfectly  natural  response  might 
be :  Why  should  He  not  ?  Would  not  any  father  at- 
tempt to  do  so?  But  various  positive  reasons  might 
also  be  assigned.     For  instance : 

1.  Since  "  God  is  love  "  He  can  do  no  otherwise 
than  seek  the  highest  welfare  of  His  own. 

2.  Because  "God  is  Spirit"  His  Life  is  as  in- 
herently redemptive  as  it  is  creative. 

3.  Forasmuch  as  man  is  incomplete  until  spiritu- 
ally born,  and  this  type  of  birth  is  one  of  the  latest 
of  those  transformations  whereby  man  advances  to 
higher  life,  therefore  it  is  normal  and  essential,  alike 
to  man's  welfare  and  God's  purpose. 

4.  Because  God  is  God.  Were  He  less  than  will- 
ing to  redeem  a  being  whom  He  had  created  He  would 
not  be  the  God  we  conceive  ourselves  to  adore. 

178 


L 


THEORIES  OF  SALVATION  179 

Now,  all  such  answers  entirely  ignore  the  great 
problem  of  Christian  theology'.  They  make  no  refer- 
ence to  the  Cross  of  Christ,  nor  do  they  explain  the 
place  of  vicarious  suffering  in  the  world.  Yet,  self- 
sacrificial  love  constitutes  the  basis  of  all  redemptive 
eflfort  and  all  preventive  care. 

Let  us  observe,  by  way  of  approach,  that  if  we  are 
to  view  certain  phases  of  atonement,  as  we  meet  them 
in  history,  with  the  sympathy  they  merit,  it  is  essential 
to  remember  that  every  great  idea  must  have  some 
form  of  expression.  As  a  matter  of  fact  basal  con- 
ceptions of  the  higher  life  were  all  originally  vague. 
Only  slowly  and  through  varied  stages,  as  great  events 
or  great  personalities  arose  to  aid  in  their  expre.^sion, 
have  they  come  to  the  form  in  which  we  know  them. 
Of  no  single  truth  in  the  entire  range  of  man's  knowl- 
edge, excepting  only  one,  have  we  a  more  varied  and 
peculiar  history  than  that  of  the  atonement.  If,  there- 
fore, from  the  standpoint  of  traditional  theories  we 
answer  the  question  why  God  could  not  freely  trans- 
form His  disoijcdient  children,  some  of  the  explana- 
tions assigned  are  as  folljws,  and  with  the  reader's 
consent  we  should  like  to  put  these  somewhat  coarsely, 
not  because  harsh  outlines  are  untrue,  but  because 
they  are  more  visible. 

T.  Because  of  man's  trati'gression  he  was  regarded 
as  "  cursed  " ;  and  the  necessity  of  the  case  required 
as  a  prior  condition  of  forgiveness,  the  removal  of  the 
curse.  This  was  effected  through  the  death  of  Jesus. 
For,  in  the  language  of  St.  Paul,  "  Christ  redeemed 
us  from  the  curse  of  the  law,  having  become  a  curse 


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i8o    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITU.\L  .JFK 

for  us,  for  it  is  written.  '  Cursed  is  every  one  thai 
nangeth  on  a  tree  "  (Gal  3 :  13). 

2.  Man's  disobedience  is  represented  as  provoking 
God  to  extreme  anger,  consequently  necessitating  some 
means  by  which  to  "placate"  or  "appense"  Him 
Could  a  substitute  be  found  whereon  the  fury  of  His 
wrath  might  spend  itself,   He  would  thus  "  propi- 
tiated  "  in  mercy  condescend  to  save.    Jesii-  died  in 
our  stead,  hence  being  now  "  justified  by  His  blood 
we  shall  be  saved  from  the  wrath  of  God  through 
Him."  * 

3-  By  Adam's  sin  the  race  fell  forfeit  to  Satan 
and  could  be  ransomed  only  at  a  price  which  man 
himself  could  not  meet.  The  death  of  Jesus  was  the 
price,  paid  by  the  Father  to  the  Devil,  for  man's 
ransom.  Origen  believed  that  God  had  "  outwitted  " 
Satan  by  this  transaction  inasmuch  as  He  knew  that 
the  Evil  One  could  not  keep  our  Lord  under  his  con- 
trol; and  of  course  this  failure  became  manifest  when 
Jesus  broke  the  bars  of  death  and  rose  again  from  ' 
the  tomb. 

4.  Anselm,  regarding  sin  as  a  violation  of  God's ' ' 
private  right;  an  aflfront  to  His  infinite  and  glorious 
majesty;  maintained  that  the  wrong  must  be  either 
punished  or  atoned  for.  Accordingly,  in  this  theory, 
the  death  of  Christ  was  given  as  a  "  satisfaction  "  of 
God's  dignity  or  honour.  With  variations  this  be- 
came essentially  the  doctrine  of  the  Reformers. 

5-  According  to  the  Grotian  theory,  sin  is  a  viola- 
tion, not  of  God's  private  dignity,  but  of  His  public 
law.    As  supreme  Ruler  He  must  vindicate  His  gov- 


THEORIES  OF  SALVATION 


i8i 


ernment  by  punishing  rebellion,  which  He  does  by 
visiting  death  upon  oflFenders.  Christ,  as  substitute, 
met  at  once  the  demands  of  the  law  and  manifested 
God's  abhorrence  of  sin,  consequently  permitting  par- 
Jon  c  f  oflFenders  without  endangering  the  moral  order 

In  the  first  case  it  was  God's  "  curse  "  that  stood  in 
the  way  cf  man's  redemption.  In  the  second,  it  was 
God's  "  wrath  "  that  had  to  be  "  appeased."  In  the 
third,  the  claims  of  the  Adversary  had  first  to  be  met. 
In  the  fourth,  God's  honour  had  to  be  vindicated  be- 
fore He  was  free  to  save.  In  the  fifth,  the  majesty 
of  the  moral  order,  God's  righteousness,  had  first  to 
be  satisfied  before  He  could  exercise  pardon. 

Observe  that  the  theories  above  outlined  relate  to 
the  pardoning  of  oflfences — not  to  the  new  birth;  to 
past  acts — not  to  higher  life  attained  through  spiritual 
transformation.  They  all  represent  atonement  as 
effected  outside  of  the  sinner,  and  provide  for  the 
removal  of  obstacles  supposed  to  rest  either  in  God's 
disposition,  or  in  some  conflict  between  His  diflFerent 
attributes. 

Those  who  deny  the  need  for  atonement  do  so  be- 
cause they  fail  to  recognize  the  obstacles  above  as- 
signed. But  were  there  back  of  all  theories  some  ele- 
mental diflSculty  really  requiring  removal,  and  this 
could  be  clearly  brought  to  light;  such  a  disclosure 
might  bring  theology  into  harmony  with  the  verities 
of  the  universe.  This  is  the  crux  of  the  problem.  Is 
there  any  obstruction  to  God?  Any  obstacle  to  His 
freedom  in  transforming  a  wicked  or  perverted  being 
to  true  spiritual  life?    Assuredly!    There  is  the  in- 


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'xir  r  c:;t'"«  '■■-  ^  "■^'  -  °^  -■-'"« 

«on;  of  renew";  a1a.^*:f;:;f,-;fy'^Posi- 

difficulty  which  God  t  wX'  r,f  T'  *'  "-^ 
The  need  of  iii^h  =,        working  ,„  us  to  overcome. 

feels.  The  r«mv  rrr'  ""■*  ''°''  '^"^  ^■•-'- 
new  birth  ate  s  and  i.  ,»?'"?'  ™^-'''"  ""^ 
perience-not  o«;idrof"h  f  \f  Tg'",.™"'  "" 
operation  producinj  a  real  tL  f  '' '  '''"'""' 

of  this  4erience'bei  r^rrchedTh"™;."!"'^'^ 
spirit  conies  to  the  ooin,  „f  T        "  ™  ""'  '"'™" 

«-    Once  tha    sta7  ;  /aid"!  ""  l'"^""^"" 
more  or  less  suddenly         I  """  '^''«  P'=ce 

according     0,™"'/;°'  P""''^  ""'^  or  "«s  slowly, 
change  lfnow„  T^^      '""   P«™"«P«on,    the 

oni.fDivirsid:rrX:^'.-~<»-<' 

serve  to  indiraf^  .f  .  ^'^  °^  questions  will 

'he  J:  :<tic:T "'  *'^* '°  -'™'-.  -<• 

C'ifsLer'^"^'''"'''''''"''--™"-? 
of  hean  ^er  orgZr  'p^ "  "  ^'"'  *■"'  ^^^^ 

«''p-ih,e;s„chA:r;:;rf:i:t\"'it- 


THEORIES  OF  SALVATION  183 

ing  boy  comes  home;  such  joy  as  Jesus  described  on 
the  Prodigal's  return. 

But  what  has  to  be  done  to  bring  the  sinner  to  this 
change  of  inner  life?  What  does  it  cost  God  to  stay 
the  mad  career  of  a  prodigal,  to  bring  him  to  con- 
trition, to  change  the  course  of  his  thinking  and  the 
purpose  of  his  life  ?  What  costs  it  to  alter  the  current 
of  his  feelings  so  that  the  sensual  fool  or  the  vicious 
criminal  is  made  sick  of  his  folly  and  longs  for  at-one- 
ment  with  God,  a  longing  which  can  be  satisfied  only 
when  he  awakes  with  the  Divine  likeness? 

It  costs  so  much  that  the  cost  baffles  finiie  concep- 
tion. Parents,  anguish-riven  for  wayward  children, 
may  know  the  nature  of  the  pain  but  who  can  infer 
the  universal  cost?  For  it  includes  all  the  strain  en- 
dured in  producing  moral  quality  in  the  race;  all  the 
throes  of  Patriarchs,  Prophets,  and  Sages;  all  that 
Jesus  suffered  throughout  His  ministry.  His  Geth- 
semane.  His  Crucifixion;  all  that  Apostles,  evangelists, 
martyrs,  and  missionaries  have  endured  or  shall  en- 
dure until  the  last  lost  life  has  been  restored. 

Sacrificial  self-giving  has  free  course  wheresoever 
God's  life  operates;  He,  the  Source  of  life,  being  the 
source  of  its  best  quality.  As  it  is  written,  "  God  was 
m  Christ  reconciling  the  world  unto  Himself."  Here 
we  are  dealing  with  a  reality  ever  present,  and  operative 
as  truly  in  all  uplift  and  advancement  as  in  redemption. 

But  It  may  be  asked,  what  part  in  this  does  the 
Cross  of  Christ  occupy?  It  stands  at  the  core  and 
heart  of  it  all;  revealing  its  meaning,  and  releasing 
Its  potency.    Jesus  endured  in  Personal  experience 


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184  THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 
what  God  endureth  ever.  That  which  was  eternal 
came  into  time  relations  in  an  event,  which  gave  it 
expression-visible  and  intelligible.  "  The  Lamb  was 
slam  from  the  foundation  of  the  world,"  but  as  his- 
toric act  came  into  world-revelation  at  Calvary  To 
quote  Professor  William  Newton  Clarke,  "  Christ's 
sm-bearing  was  not  a  separate  thing,  having  its  sig- 
n  ficance  wholly  within  itself.  It  was  not  a  service 
of  his  own  offered  to  God  who  had  no  share  in  it 

Z'V,     ru"'"\  ^°^  ^"'  '^'  °"S'"^J  ^"d  Christ 
of  g!^'.        Christ's  sm-bearing  was  the  expression 

hL?w  .  ^°^  '  ^"^'"^  ^^  ^'"  ^"^  God's  saviour- 
heart  found  expression  in  Christ,  so  in  Christ  did  the 
fact  of  His  eternal  sin-bearing  find  announcement  and 
Illustration.  The  sufferings  of  Christ  were  the  true 
r^resentative  symbol  and  proclamation  of  what  goes 
on  perpetually  m  God.  From  them  God  wished  the 
worid  to  learn  that  sin  is  put  away  only  through  the 
redemptive  suffering  of  holy  love,  which  He  Wmself 
IS  gladly  bearing,  and  which  Christ,  His  representative 
and  expression,  endured  before  the  eyes  of  men."  ♦ 

att^on  f;.^^"^'^^'°"'  ^  -«  overt  event,  holds 
attent  on.  as  it  sometimes  may,  to  the  exclusion  of 
the  Unseen  and  Eternal  potency  which  it  signified 
and  , berated,  only  part  of  its  truth  is  perceived^  For 

reve  rr'  "''^'"''''  '^'  ^*^™^^'  '^'  Phenomenon 
reveals  the  noumenon.     In  other  words,  the  special  is 

as  an  electric  spark  discloses  the  universal  ether 
Hy  a  singular  inconsistency  of  thought,  Jesus  is 
*"An  Outline  of  Christian  Theology."  p.  346. 


iiif.  i 


THEORIES  OF  bALVATION  185 

regarded  everywhere  except  at  the  cross,  as  the  In- 
carnation of  the  Father;  but  when  we  come  to  redemp- 
tion we  do  not  say  that  as  in  life  He  represented  the 
Father,  so  did  He  in  death— His  death  being  the  self- 
giving  of  His  life.  Instead,  we  so  far  separate  the 
Son  and  the  Father,  that  we  think  of  the  Father  as 
indisposed,  or  unable  to  redeem;  but  Jesus  "re- 
deemed "  us  by  appeasing  His  wrath  or  placating  His 
feelings,  or  satisfying  His  justice,  or  removing  His 
curse  or  some  other  obstruction.  Some  indeed  go  30 
far  as  to  say  that  Christ  saves  us  from  God ;  that  were 
we  not  "  covered  "  by  the  blood,  the  Father's  Holiness 
would  consume  us. 

Such  conceptions  introduce  opposition  between  God 
and  Christ;  regard  Jesus,  instead  of  the  Father,  as 
the  source  of  redemption;  represent  atonement  as 
effected  outside  of  man,  not  in  him;  at  Jerusalem, 
instead  of  in  his  inner  being;  view  it  as  a  past  event, 
not  as  a  present  operation;  regard  it  as  a  deed  done 
once  in  history,  not  as  a  process  accompanying  God's 
life;  make  it  factitious  and  transactional,  not  inherent 
and  spiritual.  The  cost  of  redemption  is  narrowed 
to  six  hours  of  agony  in  the  Crucifixion,  instead  of 
being  seen  as  the  universal  sacrifice  endured  by  God 
and  shared  by  every  benignant  being  in  the  universe— 
a  giving  of  life  moment  by  moment  and  day  by  day 
for  the  uplift  of  the  downfallen.  Traditional  theories 
focus  into  an  event  what  ought  to  be  perceived  as  a 
permanent  and  spiritual  power,  ever  operative  and 
everywhere  revealing  the  transforming  life  of  God. 

Not  only  do  traditional  theories  conceive  the  atone- 


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i86    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 
ment  as  wholly  effected  upon  the  Cross,  but  some  of 
them  refuse  to  see  the  Father  at  all  in  that  central 
act.    Dr.  Dale  reduces  the  actus  of  atonement  to  the 
smgle  moment  when  "  the  Father  hid  His  face  "  and 
Jesus,  sensible  of  the  world's  weigl     of  sin  resting 
upon  Him  alone,  cried  out  in  anguish,  "My  God' 
My  God!  why  hast  thou  forsaken  me?"     This  was 
according  to  Dr.  Dale,  the  crucial  moment  of  the 
world's  redemption,  and  God  was  not  at  that  moment 
m  Christ  reconciling  the  world  unto  Himself. 

Worlds  away  from  this  are  the  characteristic  pas- 
sages of  Scripture  touching  the  relations  between  the 
Father  and  the  Son.    At  the  Cross,  as  elsewhere, 
God  so  loved  the  world,  that  He  gave  His  only 
begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  in  Him  should 
not  perish,  but  have  eternal  life."    At  the  Cross  'tis 
true,  "  He  that  hath  seen  me  hath  seen  the  Father." 
At  the  Cross  '  I  and  the  Father  are  one,"  for  "  I  came 
not  to  do  mine  own  will,  but  the  will  of  Him  that  sent 
me."    At  the  Cross,  "  The  Father  is  greater  than  I." 
The  Cross,  in  short,  becau.ie  superlatively  the  ex- 
position of  the  Father  becomes  the  revelation  and 
stamp  of  Christ's  Divinity. 

Obviously  God  cannot  be  at  once  the  Source  of 
atonement,  and  its  object.  If  the  object  of  atonement 
were  to  placate  the  Father,  it  would  need  some  other 
source;  for  a  God  supplying  propitiation,  would  not 
need  propitiation.  The  death  of  Christ  was  not  there- 
fore to  save  us  from  God.  but  to  help  God  save  us 
from  sin.  "  1  h^  gift  of  God  is  eternal  life,  throuah 
Jesus  Christ  our  Lord." 


THEORIES  OF  SALVATION  187 

But  are  tliere  not  passages  which  imply  that  God 
must  be  propitiated,   His  wrath  appeased,  and   His 
anger  turned  away  ?    Yes,  and  were  there  no  explana- 
tion of  these  they  might  be  deemed  sufficient  tc  modify 
the  principle  v/hich  is  clearly  placed  by  Scripture  and 
reason  as  first  and  supreme.     Unfortunately,  by  a 
misconception,  almost  as  common  as  dishonouring,  it 
is  believed  that  God  has  to  be  reconciled  to  the  sinner. 
Assuredly  we  read  of  God's  wrath  and  resentment,  as 
we  do  also  of  our  Saviour's  anger  and  indignation. 
All  of  which  is  intelligible;  since  "  The  wrath  of  God 
is  poured  out  against  all  ungodliness  and  unrighteous- 
ness of  men."    God  must,  in  love  as  well  as  wisdom, 
penalize  sin;  and  He  has  set  the  universe,  society  in- 
cluded, to  do  it.     But  nowhere  in  the   Bible  is  it 
written  that  God  needs  to  be  reconciled  to  sinners. 
How  could  it  be?    God  was  never  estranged.     In  His 
heart  was  no  enmity.     His  feelings  toward  us  were 
always  right.    Just  as  right  in  prearranging  penalties 
as  in  publishing  peace.     He  so  loved  us  as  to  give 
Christ  and  Himself  in  Christ.     But  we  do  not  feel 
right  toward  Him.    Not  His  attitude,  but  ours,  needs 
changing.     Wherefore  is  it  written,  "  Be  ye  recon- 
ciled to  God"    (2   Cor.   5:20).     Of  Jesus  was  it 
written  "That  He  might  reconcile  both   (Jew  and 
Gentile)  unto  God  "  (Eph.  2:  16).     St.  Paul  writes, 
"  If  when  we  were  enemies  we  were  reconciled  to 
God,"  etc.  (Rom.  5 :  10).     Further,  it  was  the  Father's 
good  pleasure  "  By  Him  to  reconcile  all  things  unto 
Himself"    (Col.    1:20).     Once   more,    God    "hath 
reconciled  us  to  Himself  "  (2  Cor.  5 :  18).     And  con- 


H 


':1 


■If 


i 


i88    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

clusively.  "  God  was  in  Christ  reconciling  the  wo 

unto  Himself"  (2  Cor.  5:19). 
Other  texts  there  are,  but  they  all  face  in  the  sa 

direction;  speak  the  same  message;  and  reveal  t 
same  truth;  namely,  that  men  must  be  brought  it 
at-one-ment  with  God.     Not  a  single  line  of  Scriptt 
IS  there  to  say  that  God  requires  to  be  reconciled 
man. 

Christ  did  indeed  die  for  sinners;  gave  His  life 

ransom;  paid   the  price,   etc.,   but   not  to  buy  tl 

Father's  consent;  not  to  induce  Him  to  do  what  I 

otherwise  would,  or  could,  not  do.     The  doctrine  < 

th(    atonement  must  be  consistent  with  that  of  tl 

Trmity,  for  the  relation  of  Jesus  to  the  Father  mu 

be  the  same  in  one  doctrine  as  in  the  other;  but 

so,  we  cannot  say  in  one  that  He  is  "  the  expres 

'mage  of  the  Father,"  and  in  the  other  that  He  ha 

to  die  to  placate  the  Father's  wrath.     If  doctrines  ar 

to  be  true  they  cannot  be  contradictory;  they  must  b 

mutually  supporting  and  explanatory.     And  they  ar 

so.  when  we  see  that  Jesus'  death  altered  not  God' 

attitude  '  .ce,  but  revealed  it.     His  feeling 

toward  V.  ,he  same  before  the  crucifixion,  ai 

after  it— un^  .  m^'eably  the  same. 

Consistent  is  this  with  the  Immanence  of  God-  anc 
harmonious  with  the  law  of  living  forces.  For  ex- 
ample, in  nature  the  life  that  creates  is  the  life  thai 
restores.  A  wounded  tree  or  a  broken  bone  can  be 
healed  by  one  power  alone— life.  The  tree  exudes 
sap;  the  broken  bone  oozes  liquid  cement,  and  the  in- 
juries are  healed.    No  dead  tree,  no  dead  bone,  can 


THEORIES  OF  SALVATION  189 

be  mended;  and  that  for  a  very  manifest  reason.    Ob- 
serve we  are  touching  a  principle  enunciated  earlier, 
namely,  that  the  primary  work  of  God  is  creative; 
His  reparr'Jve,  restorative,  and  redemptive  work  but 
secondary.    Here  we  see  it  in  operation.    Life's  first 
work  is  productive;  the  power  which  makes  it  so 
enabling  it  where  disease  or  injury  is  contracted,  to 
repel  the  wrong  and  work  a  ministry  of  restoration. 
If  we  rise  to  the  moral  or  spiritual  realm  the  prin- 
ciple still  holds  good,  though  with  a  difference.    On 
the  physical  plane  it  operates  automatically,  but  not 
so  on  the  higher  levels;  for  the  advent  of  personality 
introduces  the  human  will  which  frequently  resists 
God's  leading.     The  overcoming  of  finite  ignorance, 
mertia,  and  wilfulness,  as  well  as  the  results  of  sin 
requires  a  gospel  adequate  to  these  results;  but  when 
spiritual  renewal  is  eflFected,  it  will  be  found  that  the 
same  Spirit  that  created,  is  the  Spirit  that  re-created 
In  passing  it  ought  to  be  said  that  "moral  influ- 
ence "  theories  of  the  atonement  constitute  a  break 
from  the  imputations  and  expedients  of  the  traditional 
theories,  forasmuch  as  they  unify  the  work  of  God 
and  Christ  in  redemption  ;Jntroduce  a  real   force 
operating  according  to  normal  laws;  and  represent 
atonement  as  taking  place  where  it  actually  makes 
sinners  at-one  with  God.     Nevertheless,  like  the  older 
theories,  they  conceive  the  atoning  influence  as  ex- 
ternal, and  flowing  from  an  event.    The  method  of 
operation  is  diflferent,  but  its  locus  is  in  Palestine 
They  represent  "  the  Cross  of  Christ "  not  as  an  in^ 
herent  force,  but  as  an  overt  spectacle;  which  moves 


mil!; 


mm 


'"  ! 


190    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

men    from   without   by   touching   their   sympathies; 
They  descnbe  an  "  influence  "  moral  in  nature  but  i 

!enl«  ^"°''  '^^'''  ^""^  '^°'^'  "P°"  "*"  ^'^^^"g*'  h'»' 
Theories  based  upon  misconceptions  of  what  re- 
quires to  be  effected  would  natural:-/  be  imperfect- 
as  would  those  also  constructed  on  mistaken  ideas  of' 
the  manner  m  which  the  result  is  produced     As  a 
matter  of  fact  it  appears  that  theories  embody  history  ! 
each  expressing  the  thought  of  its  age  and  growing' 
out  of  circumstances  which  determined  its  shaping 
Not  theological  speculation,  but  practical  appeals  have  . 
m  general   given  them  birth  and  expression.    Ages  i 
before  biological  laws,  or  the  principles  of  science  were  \ 
known,  the  Gospel  had  to  be  proclaimed,  and  some  ' 
explanation  of  the  facts  of  life,  of  sin.  of  redemption.  ! 
had  to  be  given.     None  of  them  wholly  perfect  each  1 
was  practically  effective.    For  examplef  impossible  as 
the  earliest  accepted  theory  may  sound  to  our  ears, 
yet  It  held  sway  for  well-nigh  a  thousand  years,  sus- 
taining Christian  martyrs  during  the  bloody  period 
while  Christianity  was  laying  its  world-foundations.    , 
Moreover.  ,t  was  a  perfectly  apt  figure  for  its  own  age 
and  conditions. 

When  Jesus  was  born,  out  of  a  population  of  one  ' 
hundred  and  twenty  millions  in  the  Roman  Empire 
only  twenty  millions  were  Roman  citizens  The 
residue  were  subject  peoples  held  in  various  forms 
of  servitude-the  majority  in  abject  slavery.  Hence 
the  longing  of  the  masses  for  liberty.  "  Civis  Ro- 
manus  sum  "  constituted  the  i^roudest  boast  of  the     ' 


iiiu 


THEORIES  OF  SALVATION  191 

age.  "  With  a  great  price  obtained  I  this  freedom," 
said  the  Centurion  to  Paul.  "Put  I,"  exulted  the 
Apostle,  "  was  free  bom." 

Unf'f^r  such  conditions  no  other  symbol  could  so 
well  express  the  aspiration  of  the  p  tariat.  Ran- 
som from  slavery  was  the  most  expressive  figure  of 
salvation.  It  caught  all  ears  and  meant  the  whole 
of  existence  for  the  majority.  Accordingly,  to  say 
to  a  sinner,  "the  ransom-price  of  your  liberty  has 
been  paid;  accept  it  and  be  free"  made  a  compelling 
appeal.  And  it  was  true.  The  price  was  paid;  the 
liberty  provided;  the  new  life  came  as  God's  gift. 
Only  when  theological  explanation  was  formulated 
were  mistaken  conceptions  incorporated.  Under  the 
pressure  of  advancing  intelligence,  such  errors  were 
doomed  to  drop  out;  but  the  practical  appeal  remains. 
At  the  same  time  theology  as  a  science  should  be 
freed  from  the  misconceptions  involved. 

Again,  taking  the  idea  of  the  "  curse  " ;  every  down- 
fallen  being  subject  to  the  misery  of  sin  feels  that 
he  IS  cursed.  Generally  he  accuses  himself  for  it,  and 
m  so  doing  rightly  apportions  the  blame.  But  the 
conception  of  a  curse  an.  the  idea  uf  it^  removal  by 
One  who  goes  tli^^  lengf  of  dyitsg  or  ,e  accursed 
tree  "  to  be  his  Saviour  constitutes  a  p(  rful  appeal 
—and  again  it  is  true.  Albeit  the  h*^»ogical  on- 
struction  whereon  it  is  supposed  to  be  -d  requ.res 
modification. 

As  our  Saviour's  preaching  exempl  ^^rfective 

presentation  of  the  Gospel  to  all  sorts  an       .nditions 
of  men  necessitates  the  use  of  parable,  syn,     '  figure. 


fin 


m 


m^ 


it 


i 
I 


1: 


"    '!!, 


1     j        , 


192   THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 
tr^  analogy-anything  tc  arouse  men  to  life's  r 

ogical  formulation  requires,  not  pictures^.ue  prcc  ntj 

Church  .;'''"r'  ^""^^^y-  ^^^  ^«U  of  t 
Church  attests  that  different  theories  of  the  aton 
tnent  have  predominated  in  different  ages-  Loe 

hocking    Tn  V°  '"°''^  '"'^^^  ^PP«"  quit 

Shocking.     Upon  us,  therefore,  the  heirs  of  twen  ietl 

c  ntury  knowledge,  devolves  .ne  responsibility  of   '^ 

t  Teed"s  Ttlf"  °^  ^?^  ^  truth'adequate't:'.^:: 
tne  needs  of  the  age.  and  of  furthering  theoloeical 
thought  towards  its  ultimate  expression.  ^ 

"  feet  were  nailed  for  our  advantage  on  the  bitter  tree."' 
was  not  limited  to  time  nor  olace     The  Trncc      i.-  1, 

sutrtae     n  '""  ""  «^'"'  "'  ^O-     Vicarious  ■ 

suffering    ,„  a  un.verse  like  ours,  i,  as  normal  a, 

love    and  attests   unto  ,h.  uttermost  ItTZt^  ' 

L,fes  eveT.l.v,ng.deatl,-for-others  becomes  sojfei'  1 

when  freely  accepted  as  a  personal  obligatio.      ,7ft  ' 

hares  .0  some  degree  His  Saviourhood  '^ho  fo  the 

oy  that  was  set  before  Him  endured  the  cr<»s  dl 


XVII 
THE  CONQUEST  OF  SIN 

HOW  does  God  stay  the  train  of  evils  caused  bv 
sin  and  clean  the  universe  of  its  taint? 

,11  r    .,-    ^^  *'     ^^^'"^  °^  *  *'"""*  co"J<J  intercept 
all  further  of  his  sin  our  problem  would  be 

simpler  than  But  the  damage  wrought  by  wrong- 

doing is  never  exhausted  upon  the  sinner  himself,  nor 
are  its  ravages  stayed  by  his  restoration.     Such  is 
he  solidarity  of  society  that  evils  overflow,  engu'fing 
the  innocent  and   spreading  ruin  to  the  third  and 
fourth  generation.     A  criminal  may  die.  or  be  regen- 
erated.  but  his  wrong  goes  on  working  harm  in  the 
world.     One  moral  pervert  may  defile  a  community. 
1  ne  act  of  a  smgle  incendiary  may  involve  thousands 
n  disaster,  or  the  inebriety  of  a  father  mortgage  the 
future  of  the  unborn.     Unsullied  innocence,  falling 
Vict™  to  the  lust  of  a  rake,  may  pass  through  woman! 
hoods  worst  Gehenna,  only  to  become  herself  the 

deaths  most  hideous  death.  Who  can  picture  the 
ramifying  and  multiplying  power  of  evil? 

The  liar,  the  blackleg,  the  murderer,  may  repent 
but  how  can  a  lie  be  recalled?  or  chastity  restoVed^    • 

Ln'/"^""  1  *^'  "'"•■^^'■^^  '^'•°"«ht  back  to  hi. 
famly  How  does  God  check  such  devastation  and 
purify  the  universe?    Or  can  He  do  it  at  all ? 


inji 


ill;' 
It 


■  ■  ■    i  p  i 


l-r 


■II 


.ii  ! 


•94    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

In  order  to  see  God's  method  of  workiW  i.  „ 
be  well  ,0  examine  a  concrete  ins.an«    l2' J^  2 

"ty.    A    daughters    ruin    disgraces    a    hnt>,«^ 

rjiun  "="  "^^'^  -'"  ^-^ » -'"^^ 

mtroubled.  How  is  the  ruin  stayed?  How  can  tl 
wro„  be  eradicated?  What  measures  wiU  r«to 
the  v,ct,m  to  a  woman's  normal  place  in  society  a„ 
overcome  the  injury  done  to  parents,   ,rie;dT  :: 

In  one  way  only  can  it  be  done.    One  power  alo„ 
makes  restoration  possible.    That  is    he  Mjft  ° 

crt!;rur^i.rthrs"'sS'^'^^^ 

the  Vrsult  ^      "'""''"  "'  '=''°""™'  ^'"-'y  effect. 

Stung  by  disgrace  her  parents  might  disown  hcf 

ari^Vo"'  "■%°""."^*  "-X™  »  -cumstanctas  we,' 
as  m  hope  and  virtue  would  wander  fnrtl,  ,„ 

gate  the  very  evil  of  which  shll  the  ri    ta     T"" 

repu.^  of  her  kind  would  push  llr  ta heT  towIS 

u  iner^OrTnlr  '""""■"'^  '-^  ""-O^^^bat 

wa"  exe  cLed  V'T    '  "'""  """'  '■•°"'  ^°<'  ="<< 
was  exercsed  by  Jesus  to  the  fallen.    A  slow  and 

tryng  process  i,  is;  and  painful  past  the  g^L  !f 

wheTrris'"' "  "°*'- "  ^"" "- "'-":] 

tt  working  nVr..'"  °'^'*'°"  "■"'  '^  """e^eX 
tne  workmg  of  God's  redemptive  life-  resisting  sin 

nutigatrng  its  evil,  and  staying  its  flood.  *      ' 


THE  CONQUEST  OF  SIN  195 

Hester  Prynne  of  "  The  Scarlet  Letter  "  was  not  and 
could  not  be  taken  back  to  the  plane  from  which  she 
fell.  She  had  to  go  forward  with  the  moving  uni- 
verse; but  in  her  restoration  she  was  carried  to  a 
higher  plane,  becoming  a  new  and  different  being. 
In  contrast  Dimmesdale  sank  stage  by  stage  to  lower 
being  and  deeper  hell.  While  the  villain  who  played 
the  part  of  devil  to  poor  Dimmesdale  became  more 
and  more  hideously  demoniacal. 

But  what  shall  be  said  of  little  Pearl,  or  of  any 
other  unfortunate  child  of  similar  transgression?    Can 
such  a  wrong  be  overcome,  or  compensated?    So  far 
as  human  vision  is  able  to  discern,  for  multitudes  there 
comes  no  compensation.     The  stigma  of  illegitimate 
birth  must  be  terrible  to  bear.     How  adequate  com- 
pensation can  be  eflFected  on  earth  for  this,  and  many 
other  wrongs,  seems  so  impossible  that  one  instinc- 
tively looks   forward,   and  yearningly  inquires,  can 
there  ever  come  a  time  when  the  universe  will  be 
cleansed  entirely  of  taint,  and  every  soul  compensated 
for  the  injustice  it  has  suffered?    If  so  the  method 
we  know ;  and  the  nature  of  the  cost  we  know.     It  will 
be  sacrificial— atonemental  suffering  of  necessity  ex- 
tending beyond  the  bourne  of  time.    The  Cross  must 
be  as  great  as  the  universe. 

The  splendour,  however,  of  another  truth  illumines 
our  subject.  Besides  sacrificial  suffering,  eternal  Wis- 
dom has  provided  another  means  of  checking  the 
Hood  of  sin's  wide  sweeping  scourge.  If  every  flower 
and  tree  came  into  life  diseased;  if  every  bird  and 
beast  commenced  existence  sick;  if  every  life  were 


M.i  ;  ] 


ii| 


1?l 


I'   :1  ' 


!!    1 


ii-ii.  i 


196    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 
bom  to  everlasting  death  condemned  ,■  healing,  reslora 

.on,  saIvat,o„,  would  represent  the  divinesf  thing  h 
the  universe     But  God,  Life,  and  Love  are  divine 
b^ausew,so«  shows  that  prevention  is  better  thar 
cure     To  save  innocence  from  falling  is  diviner  fa, 
than  to  uphft  the  fallen.    Rescue  of  the  conUm  nat^ 

!«'<'.■  P^vention  from  contamination  better 

selves°"tha.  t'h  """"t  ''""'^°''-  "'  """  «""»d  our- 
selves  that  the  wisdom  of  protection  is  instinctive 

as  an'intr     "'  m'"^  '"  '""  '"'""^  P"«-«    ' 
as  an  mnate  principle.    It  sounds  wicked  only  when 

we  hear  1,  m  theology.    And  it  sounds  sacrHerious 
here  only  because  so  long  have  we  held  the  coSe^ 
tion  that  every  life  is  spiritually  lost  before  Tcom- 
mences  existence. 

Were  every  life  launched  anew  like  a  modem  ocean 
line  ;  If  lost  at  all  to  be  lost  after  its  star"  Ze 

possible.  But  u  every  new  life  starts  broken 
and  wounded  to  death,  much  as  though  every  vessel 
upon  the  ocean  started  its  career  as  I  dereli«Te^ 
salvation  would  be  the  first  step  needed  by  e«^ 
human  hfe.  Every  vessel  would  need  to  be  S 
and  repaired  before  its  journey  could  b^  wm? 
ZTtuT-V'  ""^'  -'"od-epresen^  (^" 

7h^>   n'V  ^l  T"""-    '^  "  "*  ™"  >*  with 
ships  ;■    Or  does  the  law  of  heredity  destroy  the  force 

of  the  analogy?    Every  vessel,  we  know,  slips  v^^ 

new  from  her  stocks.    AU  progress  of  civilizatC 

and     very  advance  made  in  every  department  of 

knowledge,  even  the  moral  unprovement  of  man  has 


THE  CONQUEST  OF  SIN  197 

contributed  to  the  production  of  better  and  greater 
ships,  but 

"They  all  set  sail  on  the  same  old  sea!" 

Do  they?  By  no  means!  Far,  far  from  that. 
The  ocean  like  human  nature  has  been  explored.  Its 
depths  have  been  sounded,  its  dangers  exposed,  its 
laws  discovered.  No  mariner,  in  our  time,  dreads 
losing  sight  of  the  land.  Intelligence  has  so  linked 
the  arching  skies,  and  the  soundless  deep,  that  the 
sailor  holds  on  to  the  stars.  In  brief,  with  every  stage 
of  advance,  superior  ships,  far  better  equipped,  set 
sail  on  a  safer  sea. 

If  only  it  were  true  that  every  succeeding  genera- 
tion were  better  born  than  were  our  pristine  ancestry 
of  the  far  away  ages;  if  every  life,  brand  new  at  the 
start,  were  utterly  guiltless  of  sin;  and  as  the  race 
improves  were  launched  in  a  safer  world,  the  analogy 
would  carry.  And  we  believe  it  does.  Not  only  so, 
but  if  heredity  is  God's  way  of  building  into  the  race 
every  increment  of  progress  attained  age  by  age  dur- 
ing evolution,  then  more  certainly  than  with  ship- 
building is  progress  assured.  In  one  case  God  is 
working  more  directly  than  in  the  other.  In  both, 
however,  is  seen  at  once  the  law  and  the  progress  of 
the  universe. 

For  the  man  who  believes  that  every  soul  is  lost 
by  pre-natal  condemnation  and  commences  its  career 
accursed  by  its  Maker,  the  case  is  settled.  Instead  of 
regarding  the  race  as  still  under  God's  formative  hand. 


-..-#««■ 


I 

ififf 'I  m 


I  r.     t  ■■ 


■•iH 


% 


'ill 


198    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 
such  theology  regards  humanity  as  exposed  to  H 
wrath;  .nstead  of  a  progressive  universe  express^ 

with  a  defeated  and  humbled  Deity.     I„  place  of 

HimTf'  .^7^'°^  P^°^"^'"g  something  worthy  c 
H,m.e  f,  ,t  describes  a  thwarted  God,  intent  merel 
on     pluckmg  brands  from  the  burn'ng" 

As  we  have  shown  this  misconception  of  Cod  wa 
formed  before  man  had  carefully  examined  Nature 
had  explored  her  language;  or  had  obtained  adequat. 
Kleas  of  God     So  soon  as  theology  comes  into  lin< 
with  universal  truth  it  will  be  recogrized  that  chil- 
dren   are  born  guiltless;   that   if  any  soul  be  con- 
demned  ,t  is  so  for  its  own  sin.     Further  it  will  be 
seen   that   as   the   race   progresses   children   becom 
better  born,  and  enter  existence  in  a  safer  society. 
Moreover  ,t  will  be  plain  that  God's  primary  work  is 
productive;  redemption  and  restoration  being  but  sec- 
ondary and  auxiliary.     Finally  will  it  be  realized  that 

^Zl^:^  -  -  --^^^^"^  ^^-  P-ntion 
That  this  is  the  Divine  standpoint  no  one  can  fail 
to    ee  who  ,s  wilhng  to  regard  truth  in  the  light  of 
Its  later  revelations.     As  we  have  already  shown  sin 
's  absolutely  intransmissible.     Every  life  enters  upon 
existence  new  and   innocent,  and  therefore  uncon- 
demned^    It  is  a  grievous  e.ror  to  think  of  our  chil- 
dren  as  belonging  at  birth  to  the  Adversary.    The  senti- 
ments we  advocate  in  no  way  compromise  our  Lord's 
interest  in  the  lost.     Jesus  came  "  to  seek  and  to  save 


THE  CONQUEST  OF  SIN  199 

that  which  was  lost,"  but  He  nowhere  implied  that 
children  are  lost  at  or  before  birth.  He  saw  in  child- 
hood something  other  than  depravity,  otherwise  He 
could  not  have  said,  "  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  Except 
ye  turn  and  become  as  little  children,  ye  shall  in  no 
wise  enter  into  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven"  (Matt. 
18:3),  Ntver  once  in  His  ministry  did  Jesus  refer 
to  Adam's  fall,  nor  imply  that  children  are  "lost" 
because  of  the  pre-natal  curse  of  their  Heavenly 
Father. 

But,  because  born  in  innocence,  every  babe  that 
nestles  ■  '■  :he  parental  bosom  is  exposed  to  the  same 
kind  of  a  fall  that  all  who  sin  experience.  Where- 
fore parental  instinct  is  sound,  human  sentiment  true, 
and  human  duty  imperati'*^  to  cherish  the  spiritual 
aspirations  which  are  as  natural  to  childhood  as  its 
budding  lower  passions.  Mothers  are  right  when  in 
the  faces  of  their  children  they  "  see  God  "  and  dis- 
cover that  a  hitle  child  is  "  leading  them." 

In  our  day  older  theological  doctrine  is  losing  a 
little  ci  its  rigour.  It  still  teaches  that  children  are 
totally  depraved;  thaf  by  Adam's  fall  they  have  "  lost 
communion  with  God  "  and  so  are  born  "  to  death 
itself  and  to  the  pains  of  hell  forever,"  *  but  who  can 
say  that  the  sentiment  of  the  twentieth  century  en- 
dorses the  conception?  Once  was  it  taught  as  the 
Roman  Church  teaches  to-day  that  all  infants  dying 
unbaptized  were  sent  to  hell.  Our  Fathers  of  the 
Reformation  m  .ted  the  horror  of  that  repulsive 
error  by  venturing,  to  declare  that  "  elect  infants  dying 
•Shorter  Catechism,  Ques.  19. 


('I 


! 

r 


:;l !  I 


"Mil 


i 


,«l  • 


Mi 


'°°    ™^  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

M  infancy  are  rejuvenated  and  saved  "  *  r  .•  , 
!'  will  be  observed,  ye.  taly  ley  reserv^  T  ' 
■n  God's  heart  for  a  few  at  leas,  of  .^1.  '''" 
fold.    Instead,  however   of  !„  ™'"  °'  '* 

of  this  progre  sive  slen  '•'"'■"'"'"S  «•«  darin, 

shocked  V  ";,vt„,'^'  f""^  '"^"'"O  ^' 
"non-elect"  ;„fa„r  "««'="™  '•""  "-'  "uld  h 

^oittr„i':,^:-fcrar:;:t'-^'r' 
co!'>^;;  Iter  aid  '--°-'^^^ 

'o  reahze  hatTv'r V  T  ,  """:'=.'■•"=«•"  »h™  «e  come 

love,  co^  t;rfrtr^rH"r  ■"^''  •"  p"-*^ 

Wng  the  «fe  „f  its  Hea"  1 "  pIT"  hZ  ""  "' 
st.nct  will  also  be  found  to  represerSd'f  "  '"" 
and  to  be  supported  bv  Hi.  V  .1  ^  ^  movement 
impulse  that  n  vaftlf  '   "'"   "  '"  "'  "^  °"  *' 

innocence  from  falli™  In  aftenS",'  '°  ''™'"' 
Wherefore  th.  k   .  '*  ^^"^  *o  restore  it. 

^in's  -:^^isX";::«:LrTo,r  ^"r  °' 

morally  infeced  is  safety  sX  .o'telf"  A    "' 
fight  smallpox  and  the  Jh;,      7  ^^  ^^ 

antagoni^e'the  <.:ath"':hrh"  adt^frltr  "', 
perverts.     This  i<!  a  n«o  •      .  "'^^^^  ^'^om  ail  moral 

.ospe.  of  the  pri^aVr  "';:r  r  ""t^'  ""=  » 
-«/nd^b!-lLrrro;g^-^/ 
*  "Confession  of  Faith."  X.-,.  Prevention  of  sm. 


THE  CONQUEST  OF  SIN  201 

This  may  not  sound  like  theology.  But  science  de- 
mands recognition  of  the  law  that  every  improvement 
in  the  inherent  qualities  of  the  race  is  a  conquest  of 
sin;  an  overcoming  of  humanity's  lower  nature.  That 
the  Church  can  take  a  very  definite  part  in  bettering 
the  breed  of  men  may  be  doubted  by  some,  but  that 
she  is  doing  so  unconsciously  is  apparent  the  moment 
we  recognize  how  God  is  making  all  things  work 
together  to  produce  a  better  type  of  the  genus  homo. 

History    displays    the    case    in    world-movements. 
Conquest  and  commerce,  persecutions  and  dispersions; 
all  free  or  forced  migrations  of  peoples,  conducing  to 
the  blend  of  r  ces  and  cross- fertilization  of  types,  tend 
to  this  end.     Barbarous  tribes  have  infused  nev  blood 
into  effete  civilizations,  while  virile  civilizations  have 
carried  progress   to  earth's  remotest   bounds.     '^'«e 
Roman  conquest  of  Britain  and  aggressive  B:  cish 
colonization,  illustrate  forcible  methods  of  stock  modi- 
fication.    In  this  beneficent  business  the  Church  has 
taken  her  part,  always  unconsciously;  often  cruelly. 
Just  as  Jewish  persecution  scattered  Christian  zealots 
like  leaven  throughout  the  Pagan  world;  so  Roman, 
and  Greek  Christianity,   ^nd  later  Protestant  zeal, 
sowed  by  its  fierce  bhsts  newer  areas  of  the  earth 
with  the  world's  most  virile  thinkers.    To  the  anath- 
emas   of    authorized    leligions    in    older    countries 
America  owes  largely  the  pioneer  type  of  manhood 
which  laid  religious  foundations  in  the  world's  last 
West. 

Unconsciously,  b.it  with  tenderest  care,  does  the 
Church  fester  human  improvement  by  the  jealous  re- 


^i-i' 


i  I 


'lai 


I  I 


,    i 


202    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 
gard  with  which  pious  parentage  guards  the  mating 
of  us  young.     No  institution  in  the  world  has  donf 
so  much  to  foster  pure  love-making,  and  the  intelhgent 

rrr^.      '.''i'^"  ''  *'^  ^''"^^'-  Church.     Thu 
has  God  used  her  in  making  a  conquest  of  sin.     Bu 
her  positive  contribution  has  been  made  largely  with- 
out  d,scernmg  the  principle  which  is  in  ope'atL 

Can  anythmg  consciously  be  done  to  check  the  mat- 
ing of  the  unfit,  and  to  further  the  Divine  purpose 
of  marnage?  Yes.  an  enormous  amount  is  being  done 
already-by  edu.ation,  by  legislation,  and  by  the  e"! 
tabhshment  of  Homes  for  the  mentally  deficknt  but 
much  remains  to  be  eflPected  by  throwinfrestrain^ 
upon  the  criminally  inclined.  restramts 

How  many  who  live  in  modern  cities  realize  what 
has  been  done  for  the  protection  of  youth  by  the 
hghtmg  of  parks  and  streets.^  No  one  can  conce  ve 
he  contribution  made  to  purity  by  sentiments  insXd 
m  the  home  the  school,  and  the  press.  To  be  fore- 
warned IS  to  be  forearmed.  We  may  well  pity  any  X 
m  respectable  communities  fall,  for  the  fi'rf  of  osTra- 

hoT^H  ,r'  '"'  '  ''  "^"  *^^*  ^"  «^-'^  know  hot 
hot  a  hell  awaits  the  "unfortunate."  If  this  is  tru^ 
of  women  m  private,  so  is  it  of  men  in  publl    Ife 

of  he  '' P  T  "  ''^^^"'  ""^*  ^''"^  '"  th^  shadow 
ma  thei^",  ^°;ff"^^"  '^  a  -oral  lapse  should 
mar   their   hves.     "Serves   them   right!"    God    is 

aTot"uVr  T  ^^*^-'-^-"  of  taint  and  ^H  no! 
alow  us  to  honour  the  dishonourable.  "Genius" 
da^ms  to  walk  outside  the  moral  law;  but  for  how 
long  can  such  an  anomaly  endure?    Not   forever. 


\^\ 


THE  CONQUEST  OF  SIN  203 

Coming  is  the  day  when  much  filth  will  have  to  be 
omitted  from  the  biography  of  genius,  or  their  works 
will  suffer  with  them. 

But  the  sentiment  which  in  our  da}  "purges 
Shakespeare  "  and  -'^elters  the  failings  of  so  many  of 
its  darlings,  is  rising  against  easy  divorce ;  and  ought 
to  excite  resentment  sufficient  to  sweep  from  the  earth 
a  licensed  vice  which  cultivates  the  evil  it  seeks  to 
mitigate. 

Wholly  wise  and  wholesome  is  the  movement  to-day 
which  guards  the  feeble-minded  against  criminal 
wrong.  To  isolate  them  may  be  an  expense,  but  con- 
sidering the  results  must  be  a  judicious  state  ex- 
penditure Possibly  the  day  may  come  when  the 
vicious  will  be  segregated  to  protect  society  against 
the  increase  of  their  kind.  No  plague  which  slays 
our  bodies  by  the  hundred  is  comparable  to  the  pesti- 
lence which  slays  by  thousands  the  chastity  of  our 
youth.  How  desirable  some  such  protective  policy  is 
becomes  evident  from  such  statements  as  the  follow- 
ing, contrasting  the  type  of  descendants  from  the  re- 
nowned Edwards  family  with  that  of  the  Jukes.  The 
latter  were  descended  from  an  abandoned  woman  who 
came  to  America,  and  in  less  than  a  century  they 
numbered  twelve  hundred.  "  Of  these,  seven  were 
murderers,  three  hundred  and  ten  paupers,  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty  convicted  criminals,  four  hundred 
drunkards  and  debauchees,  while  only  about  twenty 
learned  a  trade.  Of  the  descendants  of  Jonathan  Ed- 
wards over  three  hundred  were  college  graduates,  four- 
teen college  presidents,  one  hundred  college  profes- 


mv 


Sf 


^^H 


]P 


204    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 
sors.  more  than  one  hundred  lawyers,  thirty  judges 
s|xty  physicians,  and  one  hundred  ministers  or  S 
sionaries.  ^ 

Defence  against  the  propagation  of  sin  mav  be 
prosecute  .„  so  many  ways  that  it  will  be  sSent 
to  show  here  ,ha.  the  Ch.  rch  ought  not  .0  be  " 
regarding  mun.cpal  and  political  matters.    LeKisla! 

h,  h^   ^  r*^'  '■'''"«•     "  *«  Christian  portion  of 

the  body  pol..,c  resolved  that  temperance  and  "  ^hitl 

■fe     leg,slat.on  should  be  enforced,  the  stale  would 

oon  be  a  safer  place  in  which  to  rear  children     What 

«n  be  done  ought  to  be  done;  nothing  can  reHevI 

Christian  people  of  this  obligation 

First  and  foremost  among  the  preventive  measures 
«."st  be  placed  education.    All  ages  have  r«« 
the  importance  of  moulding  life  i„  i,s  plastic  ^1„ 
Solomon's  injunction  to  "  Train  up  a  child  in  the  wfv 

he'  tm  „of     "■"!"  T'  ""■"'^  *' '  "  w^™  he     "J 
idea7  Ld         "         r  "■"  "P"-«^«  "-«  Hebrew 

Serfr:r„f:;;^-:rngr  ;;s  tJ:r  "i 

»nstU.e  the  ty^  .0  ^hich  pf rv^rtf^u^tr ^r.^,^ 

™re   and  L"".'"'"  "■     P'"""™  '»  •»"«■•  than 
rare,  and  education  in  the  broad  sense  is  the  earli«f 

sanest,  and  safest  kind  of  prevention  ' 


n 


XVIII 
TIx£  SIGNIFICANCE  OF  IMMORTALITY 

AT  the  close  of  man's  temporal  career  one  of  three 
possibilities  await  him.     (i)  Annihilation;  or 
(2)  Return  of  his  life  to  "  the  ocean  of  life  " 
—a  loss  of  individuality;  or  (3)  He  persists  as  a 
conscious  individual  spirit. 

Which  of  these  conceptions  receives  strongest  sup- 
port from  universal  revelation? 

(i)  Annihilation.  Whatever  significance  the  word 
might  once  have  possessed  an  age  of  science  knows 
nothing  of  annihilation.  According  to  the  law  of 
the  conservation  of  energy,  forces  undergo  endless 
change  of  form,  but  their  destruction  is  impossible. 
The  same  law  applies  to  matter,  which  by  science  is 
regarded  as  but  a  modification  of  force.  If  matter 
and  energy  are  indestructible,  so,  may  we  infer,  are 
other  types  of  higher  reality.  Reason,  feeling,  emo- 
tion, volition,  love,  are  forms  of  reality.  The  fact 
of  their  existence,  in  however  imperfect  a  state,  cer- 
tifies a  wider  reality  of  which  they  are  individual  ex- 
amples. The  "  phenomenon  "  is  proof  of  the  noume- 
non.  As  the  peal  of  thunder  declares  electricity,  at- 
testing its  reality,  so  love  and  faith  testify  other  forms 
of  reality.  In  the  individual  shines  the  universal. 
Shakespeare's  mind  stands  for  a  type  of  reality  of 

105 


;/^fi 


^^1 


.4j;:         ' 


Hi 


■»■'  i 


206  THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 
which  h.  i,  an  isolated  and  finile  example.  Thus  al» 
Newlon  and  Mendelssohn,  Canova  and  I«.iah  dLla^ 
oiher  phase,  of  reality  which  in  their  personS 
came  ,o  real  .ation.  And  our  age  has  t^Z^Z 
ol^saence  that  the  annihilation  ol  a  reality  ist! 

(2)  But  in  demonstrating  the  transformation  of 

.h    po'ssiMer""','"?  T  ^"'"«  ^"'"^«'  >'  '- 
the  poss.Me  loss  of  mdiv.duality?    Much  as  oxy/ren 

or  hydro  released  from  one  specific  form  mayT 
umte  w,th  other  forms  or  be  lost  in  kindred  ma'se! 
niay  not  mans  soul  relapse  into  the  universal  S 
«s  .nd,v,duali.y?  This  brings  us  to  the^«i  g"? 
the  ways.  All  pantheistic  religions,  and  certain  prl 
nouncement,  of  science,  on  the  purely  .^TZl^Tc 
plane,  imply  an  affirmative  answer  "'"*""'« 

(3)  It  is  to  be  noted  that  such  deliverances  ar, 
dtscredtted  by  their  failu,,  to  account  for    ny  of   h" 
higher  forms  of  reality.     As  we  saw,  ma.eriahsm  ha 
0  deny  or  explain  away  volition,  freedom,  and  I^al 
■ty;  makmg  hallucination  of  religion,  and  "HeT"  of 
human  m.„,tion  and  aspiration.     I,  contrad    s  also 
h,  testimony  of  evolution  which    at  this  point  il 
lutntnes  the  path  of  developing  knowledge     "^ 
Two  truths  has  science  established  as  basal.     First 

^e  laf!    .h  "'  'r'™'  '■"  "™^  °f  ™«er. 

crown.    :,  >  ''I™"  "'""'^  '"  "^"'^  '™>""-0". 
crown-',  as  it  is  by  personal.cy 

«ff!r!l  '?'"'^°"  ^"'  '"^'■'  *^""  ^^PJ^'"«  the  past.    It 
affords  clues  to  nature's  trend  and  meaning.    A  gen- 


II 
J.  J 


THE  SIGNIFICANCE  OF  IMMORiALITY    207 

eralization  of  science  is  more  than  a  prophecy.  It  is 
a  key  to  whole  realms  of  prophecy;  for  unlike  the 
sheer  unexplained  inspiration  of  a  prophetic  soul  it 
comes  to  us  in  an  intelligible  setting.  St.  Paul  gave 
the  race  an  exquisite  picture  of  evolution,  but  being 
wholly  disconti.cted  from  the  multitudinous  forces 
which  render  it  effective,  it  lay  for  centuries  as  purely 
a  "  revelation."  When  the  scientist  by  wide  and  pro- 
longed research  feels  his  sure  way  to  a  law  or  gen- 
eralization, it  comes  to  him  with  divine  connections 
which  afford  endless  clues  to  other  subsidiary  facts 
and  truths. 

Within  the  sweep  of  the  ■  term  "  evolution  " 

science  displays  for  man  .iiection  a  progressive 
movement  from  protoplasm  personality;  and  from 
lower  to  higher  types  of  personality;  race  above  race; 
and  among  these,  overtowering  individuals,  which  in- 
dicate the  trend  of  development,  and  attest  possibilities 
beyond  the  range  of  imagination.  Not  only  so,  but 
so  simple  a  statement  leaves  quite  out  of  sight  two 
most  significant  facts.  On  one  hand  it  says  nothing 
of  the  age-long  evolution  which  preceded  the  advent 
of  life,  constituting  a  theatre  for  its  operation.  Nor, 
on  the  other,  of  the  momentous  truth  that  every  great 
personality  tends  to  elevate  all  humanity  to  his  own 
stature,  and  to  further  the  progress  in  which  he  ap- 
pears not  merely  as  a  resultant  but  as  a  factor. 

Evolution  culminates  in  personality. 

But  what  are  we  to  say  of  personality?  Is  it  yet 
complete  ?  Everybody  knows  that  it  is  not.  Nor  can 
it  evei  become  perfect  except  in  association  with  ele- 


hil' 


"«ll( 


<  f 


208    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

vating  personalities;  personality  requiring  the  inter- 
course of  persons  for  its  development.  Accordingly 
the  entire  progress  of  the  past  embodies  an  inevitable 
prophecy  of  future  progress.  Yes,  but  does  that 
prophecy  carry  to  a  higher  realm?  How  are  we  to 
interpret  it?  Of  necessity  it  must  mean  one  of  two 
things.  Either  that  future  development  will  be  con- 
fined to  the  temporal  order  and  therefore  that  it  will 
ultimately  terminate  in  the  extinction  of  every  finite 
personality;  or  that  the  temporal  order  is  but  prepara- 
tory to  some  advance  of  personality  to  a  higher  and 
more  permanent  plane  of  existence. 

To  see  which  of  these  ideas  receives  the  support  of 
nature  let  us  ask  a  further  question.  Has  progress 
in  the  past  been  confined  to  a  single  plane,  or  has  it 
risen  by  degrees  through  successive  planes,  which  rank 
as  miraculous,  or  quite  supra-natural,  to  those  below? 
And  does  such  progress  project  by  indubitable  promise 
to  the  kind  of  advance  which  would  carry  life  to  a 
yet  higher  plane— supra-natural  to,  or  transcending, 
our  present  type  of  eriistence? 

That  evolution  has  so  carried  is  clear.  Vegetable 
life  ranks  as  supra-natural  to  everything  inorganic. 
Animal  life  by  an  almost  equal  interval  transcends 
vegetable  life,  and  is  itself  transcended  by  personality. 
Not  only  so  but  these  rising  stages  of  being  emerged 
in  successive  order,  the  lower  auxiliary  to  the  higher. 
Without  some  promotion,  therefore,  of  personality 
to  a  more  perfect,  and  more  perfecting  sphere,  the 
consummated  struggle  and  pain  of  past  progress  will 
end  for  every  aspiring  spirit  in  defeat  and  disappoint* 


1  I    I 


THE  SIGNIFICANCE  OF  IMMORTALITY    209 

ment.  Yet,  as  Thomas  Hill  Green  says,  "  it  is  im- 
possible to  conclude  witiiotit  the  sense  of  intellectual 
absurdity,  that  an  onlcr  of  things  which  has  for  its 
visible  end  the  construction  of  self-conscious  person- 
ality, should  ultimate  in  the  extinction  of  the  same." 

Before  examining  the  evidence  to  attest  the  possi- 
bility of  the  translation  of  life  from  lower  to  higher 
levels,  it  should  be  remarked  that  until  self-conscious 
personality  appeared  there  was  no  demand  for  immor- 
tality, and  no  possibility  of  it.  For  flower,  or  bird, 
or  quadruped,  to  pass  under  a  death  that  ends  its 
career,  constitutes  for  it  no  disappointment.  It  pos- 
sessed neither  the  conception  nor  aspiration  for  future 
and  higher  life.  The  sense  of  individuality  com- 
mences with  personality.  When  man  became  a  spirit 
then  came  the  possibility  of  spiritual  experience,  with 
Its  intuitions  and  longings.  With  self-consciousness 
therefore  must  commence  the  very  possibility  of  dis- 
appointment should  identity  be  extinguished  by  death. 

Regarding  evidence  that  such  a  transformation  is 
possible  as  that  implied  in  the  continuance  of  indi- 
vidual life  through  ascending  spheres  of  existence,  we 
find  that  nature  provides  just  the  kind  of  evidence 
fitted  to  kindle  our  faith.  In  his  own  experience,  for 
example,  man  discovers  the  suggestive  fact  that  he 
retains  personal  identity  throughout  the  range  of 
changes  whereby  childhood  becomes  youth,  youth 
maturity,  and  maturity  age.  Individuality  remaining 
permanent  or  unbrokei^  amidst  alterations  so  great 
prepares  the  way  for  faith  in  yet  greater  metamorl 
pnoses. 


Piifiip! 


f      is  r 

■m 

M  ' 

I' 


J  f 


2IO    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

Physiologists  assure  the  man  of  seventy  that  he  has 
worn  out  and  cast  away  numerous  bodies;  even  the 
bone  system  has  been  renewed  some  ten  times,  and  the 
brain  fibre  twice  every  year.  Yet  he  knows  himself 
as  the  individual  who  sixty  years  before  "thought 
as  a  child."  But  the  range  of  metamorphoses  must 
be  vastly  extended.  Human  life,  so  we  are  taught, 
commences  as  a  monocell;  the  fcetus  recapitulates  in 
miniature  the  greater  stages  of  the  wider  evolutionary 
movement;  finally  emerging  from  a  pre-natal  habitat 
in  fluid  to  a  free  existence  in  the  air.  Furthermore, 
nature  provides  innumerable  examples  of  metamor- 
phoses, such  as  t  ike  place  in  the  life  of  the  ant,  the 
mosquito,  the  butterfly ;  demonstrating  the  passage  of 
uninterrupted  life  through  widely  different  spheres  of 
existence;  and  at  the  same  time  revealing  two  impor- 
tant laws. 

Firstly,  however  great  the  transformations  involved, 
there  is  continuance  of  individual  life,  revealing  its 
nature,  stage  after  stage,  by  producing  its  own  body, 
instincts,  powers,  etc. 

Secondly,  throtighout  human  transformntions,  after 
intelligence  arrives,  the  characteristics  of  spirit  remain 
constant;  viz.,  memory  and  identity,  volition,  aspira- 
tion, hope,  faith,  and  prayer ;  that  is,  the  very  powers 
required  to  conceive  and  appreciate  a  higher  life. 

So  far  therefore  as  the  possibility  of  life  being  pro- 
longed beyond  the  dissolution  of  the  body  is  con- 
cerned, improbability  would  seem  to  be  removed  by 
actual  examples  of  such  persistence  throughout  vastly 
varying  transformations,   which  not   merely  justify 


THE  SIGNIFICANCE  OF  IMMORTALITY    211 

man's  intuitions,  but  indicate  the  laws  of  life's  con- 
tinuance. 

Still  further,  modern  exploration  has  found  new 
hnes  of   leading.     Amidst   the   impressive   mass   of 
literature  issued  during  the  past  two  decades  dealing 
with  immortality-and  no  other  age  ever  equalled  it 
or  could  even  imagine  the  variety  of  its  methods- 
net  the  least  interesting  is  that  involved  in  Psychical 
Research.     Experts  in  various  departments  of  science 
tell  us  that  the  truth  of  immortality  is  capable  of 
demonstration,  nay,  certain  scientists  of  world-wide 
repute,  after  years  of  exacting  study  and  scrupulous 
testing,  believe  that  the  fact  is  already  proved. 

Disclaiming  first-hand  acquaintance  with  the  phe- 
nomena explored  by  "  The  Society  of  Psychical  Re- 
search," I  confess  myself  impressed  by  the  fact  that 
scientists,   having  achieved  a  commanding  place  in 
the  world,  are  willing  to  risk  name  and  fame  and 
reputation  to  declare  as  realities  that  which  excites  the 
derision   of  their  contemporaries.     That  means    of 
course,  the  derision  of  those  who  have  not  themselves 
explored  the  phenomena.     What  advantage  could  it 
be  to  men  like  Frederick  W.  H.  Myers,  Sir  William 
CrooKCs,  Alfred  Russel  Wallace,  Sir  Oliver  Lodge 
and  a  galaxy  of  other  scientists  to  deceive  humanity? 
i  he  truth  seems  to  be  that  having  entered  a  new  sphere 
of  exploration  they  have  proved  what  to  the  unini- 
tiated is  so  far  unknown;  and  they  are  giving  their 
lives  with  prophetic  zeal— not  without  the  conven- 
tional  stoning— to   convince  others   of   an   hitherto 
scouted  realm  of  reality. 


iili 


mi 


f  'id 

II' 


1    3    ■ 


212    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

So  immense  is  the  literature  of  this  subject  that 
nothing  more  can  be  here  attempted  than  to  give  two 
or  three  brief  quotations,  which,  however,  may  be 
taken  as  typical. 

"  It  must  be  remembered,"  writes  Alfred  Russel 
Wallace,  "  that  as  a  rule  all  educated,  and  especially 
all  scientific  men,  come  to  the  investigation  of  this 
subject  with  a  very  strong  prejudice  against  it,  as 
being  .-'most  certainly  based  on  credulity  and  fraud, 
which  they  will  easily  detect  and  expose.     This  is 
the  frame  of  mind  with  which  the  inquiry  was  begun 
by  Professor  Hare,  the  first  American  chemist  of  his 
day;  by  the  Hon.  Robert  Dale  Owen,  a  most  intel- 
lectual and  philosophical  materialist;  by  Mr.  Crookes, 
on.  of  the  first  chemists  of  the  present  age,  and  by 
scores  of  others  that  might  be  named.     These  men 
all  devoted  not  a  few  hours  or  days,  or  even  weeks, 
to  a  hasty  examination  of  the  subject  but  many  years 
of  patient  inquiry  and  experiment,  with  the  result  in 
every  case  that  the  more  thoroughly  the  subject  was 
inquired  into,  the  more  able  and  intelligent  the  in- 
quiries, the  more  seriously  did  its  foundation  facts 
and  main  doctrine  become  established." 

After  classifying  and  describing  phenomena,  he  de- 
clares that  exploration  "demonstrates  the  existence 
of  forms  of  matter  and  modes  of  being  which  are  un- 
accountable from  the  standpoint  of  mere  physical 
science.  It  shows  us  that  mind  may  exist  without 
brain,  and  disconnected  from  any  material  body  that 
we  can  detect,  and  it  destroys  the  presumption  against 
our  continued  existence  after  the  physical  body  is 


A: 


THE  SIGNIFICANCE  OF  IMMORTALITY    213 

disorganized  or  destroyed.  It  further  demontlrates 
by  direct  evidence,  as  conclusive  as  the  nature  of  the 
case  admits,  that  the  so-called  dead  are  still  alive— 
that  our  friends  are  often  with  us,  though  unseen,  and 
can  give  direct  proof  of  a  future  life,  which  so  many 
crave,  but  for  want  of  which  so  many  liv.;  and  die 
in  anxious  doubt." 

Sir  William  Crookes  conducted  prolonged  experi- 
ments in  his  own  home,  with  every  defence  against 
fraud  and  every  form  of  deception,  and  gives  the 
weight  of  his  authority  to  the  fact  that  spirits  do 
become  embodied  in  transitory  human  forms.  These 
figures  he  felt,  weighed,  measured,  and  photographed. 
He  declares  absolutely  and  positively,  that  they  are 
real  existences — spiritual  existences — because  they  are 
only  temporary.     They  come  and  pass  away  again. 

Speaking  of  the  conviction  borne  in  upon  his  mind 
by  twenty  years  of  experience  with  the  questions  that 
concern  Psychical  research.  Sir  Oliver  Lodge  says 
frankly,  "  First,  then,  I  am,  for  all  personal  reasons, 
convinced  of  the  persistence  of  human  existence  be- 
yond bodily  death ;  and  though  I  am  unable  to  justify 
that  belief  in  a  full  and  complete  manner,  yet  it  is  a 
belief  which  has  been  produced  by  scientific  evidence." 
If  every  faculty  that  man  possesses  "must  have 
some  function  to  perform  somewhere,  at  some  time, 
in  some  state  of  existence,"  and  if  man  now  has 
"  faculties  that  perform  no  normal  function  in  this 
life,"  it  may  follow  as  Dr.  T.  J.  Hudson  maintains 
"  that  they  must  be  designed  for  use  in  a  future  life." 
Whether  Dr.  Hudson's  work  constitutes  "  A  Scientific 


t]^i 


Iti 


fit     h    '- 

ml  I 


2x4    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

Demonstration  of  the  Future  Life,"  or  not,  the  fact 
is  our  age  rccr^guizes  the  phcnoim-na  uf  hypnotism 
—telepathy,  Ie\itation,  telesthcsia.  etc.,  as  veritable; 
and  requires  explanatii^h  as  implying  phases  of  being 
and  the  possession  of  powers  once  undreamed  of. 

Passing  from  the  expert,  whose  contributions,  how- 
ever, our  age  more  and  more  accredits,  we  observe 
that  as  a  race-uplift  the  sense  of  immortality  resides 
mysteriously  in  the  life  of  the  oomnion  people.  Ex- 
ternal evidence.  ;j  iic-it,  remains  but  auxiliary.  As  a 
motive  and  inspiration  its  power  wells  up  from  the 
depths  of  essential  being— inexplicable  and  inextin- 
guishable. How  else  could  it  gain  racial  sway?  To 
be  an  undying  spring  of  action  amidst  darkness  and 
tragedy  it  must  rise  from  within  as  an  elemental  force; 
must,  in  short,  be  intuitional. 

Were  the  sense  of  immortality  our  only  intuition, 
its  mystery  might  be  more  perplexing,  but  we  find 
that  in  exploring  our  intuitional  life  we  are  dipping 
into  the   fount  whence  spring  all   our   fundamental 
conceptions.     Thence  arise  our  notions  of  God,   of 
justice,  of  holiness,  and  of  the  beautiful,  all  of  which 
exercise  compelling  power  as  dominant  as  it  is  mys- 
terious.    Moral  obligation  and  the  sense  of  reverence 
have  the  same  source  as  the  intuition  of  future  life. 
No  more,  no  less.     Like  morality  and  reli'^ion.  immor- 
tality governs  thought,  moulds  custom,  and  powerfully 
tends  to  man's  impr<  vement.     Unlike  superstition  it 
cannot  be  extinguished.     With  the  rising  race  it  holds 
its  own.     The  wicked  may  dread  its  implications,  but 
the  good  glory  in  its  entrancing  vista. 


'  If  " 


THE  SIGNIFICANCE  OF  IMMORTALITY    215 

Always  operative,  there  comes  to  us  from  the  most 
distant  ghntings  of  humanity's  morning;  from  races 
separated  by  language  and  clime,   from  the  lowest 
barbarism  and  the  highest  culture;  the  same  hope  clad 
with  all  the  vagaries  of  untamed  imagination,  but  in 
all  and  through  all,  burning  like  a  flame,  lived  the 
same  significant  and  stimulating  power.     The  aborigi- 
nal Indian  of  the  American  wilds  sustained  his  spirit 
amidst  the  battle  and  the  chase  by  the  same  concep- 
tion that  kept  heart  and  courage  strong  in  Egypt  and 
old  Chaldea.     Japan  and  China,  from  the  cradle  of 
the  East,  have  worshipped  ancestral  spirits.     Egyp- 
tians, before  the  Pyramids  were  built,  resting  in  the 
assurance  of  future  life,  embalmed  the  bjdies  of  the 
dead  for  the  re-occupation  of  returning  spirits      So- 
crates, environed  by  Paganism  and  condemned  for 
heresy  against  Mythologic  gods,  rejoiced  in  the  cer- 
tainty of  continued  existence.     Speaking  for  the  Ro- 
mans, "  There  is,"  says  Cicero.  "  in  the  minds  of 
men  a  certain  presage,  as  it  were,  of  a  future  exist- 
ence, and  this  takes  the  deepest  root  and  is  the  most 
discoverable  in  the  greatest  geniuses  and  most  exalted 
souls. 

The  IIvI,;tws,  preparing  the  way  for  a  fuller  reve- 
lation, faced  the  future  with  the  same  unfailing  faith 
Abraham  sought  not  merely  a  "  promised  land."  but 

tor  a  city  that  hath  foundations,  whose  builder  and 
maker  is  God."  Job  exclaims,  « Though  after  my 
skin  worms  destroy  this  body,  yet  apart  from  my  flesh 
sha  I  see  God."  While  Koheleth  proclaims,  "  Then 
Shall  the  dust  return  to  the  earth  as  it  was,  and  the 


if 


■rm 


I 


1 1 


-St        1 

1 


216  THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 
spirit  shall  return  to  God  who  gave  it."  Moreover 
every  Hebrew  believed  that  Enoch  and  Elijah  had 
passed  over  unsmitten  by  death.  From  all  of  which 
It  would  appear  that  Old  Testament  revelation  was 
meagre,  rather  than  indefinite.  What  in  it  was  lack- 
mg  and  what  humanity  had  so  long  looked  for  was 
destmed  to  come,  but  the  world  had  to  wait  for  Him 
who  "  brought  life  and  immortality  to  light  through 
the  gospel." 

Christianity  has  seized  with  avidity  the  lesser  of 
two  great  principles  revealed  through  our  Lord's  sur- 
vival of  bodily  death.  It  holds  His  resurrection  as 
proof  conclusive  of  a  future  life,  yet  scarcely  discerns 
His  major  revelation  regarding  life  and  immortality. 
For,  although  it  rejoices  in  an  assured  resurrection, 
It  has  been  wont  to  place  it  in  the  distant  future; 
thmk  of  it  as  occurring  after  a  period  of  sleep  or 
at  least  of  indefinite  existence;  and  conceives  the  soul's 
Heaven  as  static. 

What  the  world  needed  when  Jesus  came  was  not 
so  much  a  proof  of  the  resurrection  (for  that  fact 
was  commonly  accepted)  as  a  revelation  of  the  nature 
and  quality  of  immortalitv.     Because  of  unfortunate 
preconceptions  men  did  not  see  then,  nor  do  they 
appear  very  well  to  understand  now,  that  in  "  life  " 
itself,  or  rather  in  God  Himself,  resides  all  that  can 
be  revealed  and  all  that  can  be  attained.     If  we  could 
but  conceive  God  properly,  and  realize  the  relation 
our  life  bears  to  His,  we  should  be  prepared  to  enter 
here  and  now  upon  our  immortal  inheritance,  and 
enjoy  its  Divine  conquest  over  all  that  is  temporal, 


di 


THE  SIGNIFICANCE  OF  IMMORTALITY    217 
^ransient,  and  but  incidental  to  unending  develop- 

Jesus  taught  that  God  is  spirit,  and  that  eternal 
life  becomes  ours  by  spiritual  birth;  also,  that  resur- 
rection  is  involved  in  the  "  life  "  itself.  That  is  im- 
mortality is  not  an  outer  event;  but  a  native  quality 
and  power  of  the  spirit.  It  is  not  a  mechanical  result 
effected  for  us  by  an  external  power,  but  rather  springs 
out  of  and  results  from  the  nature  of  life  itself 

Without  disclaiming  old  ideas,  the  teaching  of  Jesus 
transcends  them.  Resurrection  He  represents  as  a 
present  fact.     The  hour  cometh  and  now  is  when  they 

'^V^l^^'  ^'^'''  ''^""  ^^^'  "•«  ^°'«  and  come 
forth.  When  Mary  declared  her  faith  in  a  future 
resurrection,  saying.  "  I  know  that  he  shall  rise  again 
in  the  resurrection  at  the  last  day,"  Jesuc  averred, 
i  am  the  Resurrection  and  the  Life;  he  that  be- 
lieveth  on  me  though  he  die  yet  shall  he  live-  and 
whosoever  liveth  and  believeth  on  me  shall  never 
die      (John  11:23-26). 

What  is  here  enigmatical  Jesus  brings  to  light  by 
explaining  life  "  and  "  immortality."  "  The  gift  of 
God,"  so  It  is  written,  "is  eternal  life."  "God  so 
oved  the  wo-ld,  that  He  gave  His  only  begotten  Son, 
that  whosoever  believeth  on  Him  should  not  perish 
but  have  eternal  life." 

Not  then,  and  perhaps  not  even  now,  is  the  signifi- 
cance of  the  term  "  eternal  "  apprehended.  When  our 
authorized  version  of  the  Scriptures  was  prepared  no 
distmction  was  made  between  the  words  "  everlastine  " 
and  "eternal."    They  are  used  interchangeablv % 


i4? 


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218    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

John  3:16  and  John  3:17.  Yet  the  difference  in 
meaning  is  pole-wide,  and  its  recognition  vital  to  an 
understanding  of  either  the  Gospel  or  science.  The 
term  "  eternal  "  signifies  not  mere  time  continuance 
(everlasting)  but  rather  a  quality  untouched  by  time. 
God,  life,  love,  holiness  are  eternal.  Jesus  conjugated 
"  eternal  "  in  th<-  present  tense.  "  He  that  believeth 
on  me  hath  eterial  life."  So  does  St.  Paul.  "The 
gift  of  God  is  eternal  life" — not  will  be  eternal. 
Both  have  reference  to  the  essential  quality  of  the 
life  of  God. 

Man  is  not  imnortal  because  Christ  rose  from  the 
dead.     Rather  Christ  arose  because  life  is  eternal. 
There  could  be  no  survival  after  death  unless  the 
spirit  of  man  partook  of  God's  being.     Nothing  per- 
sists except  by  its  inherent  nature.     The  question  of 
immortality  has  illustration  in  the  example  of  Christ, 
the  first  fruits  of  them  that  slept.     But  had  Jesus 
not  been  seen  after  His  crucifixion,  ai...  had  immor- 
tality to  wait  for  some  later  attestation,  the  persist- 
ence of  life  would  have  been  the  same.     It  was  not 
God's  will,  however,  to  keep  the  race  waiting.     Death 
was  robbed  of  its  sting,  the  grave  of  its  victory,  and 
life  and  immortality  were  brought  to  light  by  Jesus 
Christ. 

Only  in  a  physical  sense,  it  will  be  seen,  was  Jesus 
"  dead."  In  no  other  sense  could  He  die.  .At  the 
crucifixion  He  entered  upon  no  period  of  sleep  or 
waiting  for  the  restoration  of  His  body.  "  To-day," 
said  He  to  the  malefactor,  "  shalt  thou  be  with  me 
in  Paradise."    "  I  am  He  that  liveth  and  was  dead, 


kH^ 


THE  SIGNIFICANCE  OF  IMMORTALITY    219 

and  behold  I  am  alive  for  evermore."    "Whosoever 
hvcth  and  believeth  on  me  shall  never  die  " 

Man  can  die  in  many  senses-physically.  mentally 
".orally,   sp.ntually.     Never  can   he   be  annihilated 
l.ut  he  can  die  m  a  worse  sense  than  physically.     The 
life  and  t.nmortalUy  which  Jesus  brought  to  light  de- 
I.ver  h>m  from  moral  and  spiritual  conditions  which 
constitute  the  only  death  to  be  supremely  drell  d 
Because  .mmortahty  implies  a  quality  of  life  it  sie- 
mfies  more  than  continued  existence.     All  spirits,  fs 
we  have  said,  persist,  but  all  attain  not  the  life  of 
.mmortahty.     Call  their  condition  "  Hell."  or  stulti- 

or  death.  ,t  lacks  what  makes  finite  life  like  God's 
Existence  they  have;  but  not  what  Jesus  brought  to 
I'ght  through  the  Gospel.  In  brief,  i/lacks  the  Lu ty 
of^His  character,  the  power  or  quality  of  Immortal 

The  •'  moral  argument  "  by  so  many  thinkers  re- 

acZ?^   ?         completeness  of  life,  and  its  moral 
adjustments;  ,s.  at  its  best,  but  a  single  aspect  of  the 

when  viewed  as  a  quality  and  element  of  spiritual 
-fe  IS  seen  to  involve  all  that  is  taught  by  science 
and  demanded  by  philosophy.  It  provides  for  the 
completion  of  life,  and  of  life's  aspirations  and  mys 
^enous  .tuitions^  During  the  present,  it  ma!<e.s  betfer 
men  o        3„.     The  would-be  criminal,  as  well  as  the 

won  ;i  1      '''  ""T'  P'"''"'"-     ^'*h°"*  't'  ^°"«<^'ence 
would  lose  weight.     With   it,  God   holds  completer 


^i 


•    J  ^*' 


220    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

sway.  If  men  could  be  as  certain  of  extinction  at  the! 
close  of  uie  chapter  as  they  are  that  their  destiny  is' 
not  complete,  life  would  tend  to  riot  and  injustice. 

On  the  other  hand,  immortal  faith  fortifies  a  man : 
against  the  stings  and  arrows  of  outrageous  fortune,  i 
giving  him  the  pulse  and  tread  of  triumph.  If  not 
here,  then  there.  If  not  now.  yet  then.  Immortality 
enables  us  to  await  God's  will,  and  to  build  upon  the 
certainty  of  ultimate  justice.  It  floods  the  present 
with  the  potency  of  the  eternal,  and  opens  to  faith's 
vision  an  inheritance  incorruptible,  and  undefiled,  and 
that  fadeth  not  away.  ' 

We  shall   fall  short  of  appreciating  immortality 
unless  we  see  that  the  faith  which  looks  optimistically 
beyond  the  grave  is  identical  with  the  faith  that  makes  i 
heroes,  martyrs,  and  reformers  here.     It  is  God  in 
them  and  the  certainty  that  only  God  holds  destiny, 
here  and  hereafter.     This  is  cosmic  faith.     Its  qual- 
ity and  content  are  as  important  as  its  duration.     It 
means    God's    in-working    and    over-working    and   | 
ihrough-working.     It  leaves  nothing  for  chance  or  de- 
feat.    Nero  may  execute  Paul,  but  Paul  dies  as  does    ; 
not  Nero.    The  finite  spirit's  existence  is  as  deathless    | 
as  that  of  its  Source.     He  who  is  one  with  God  shares    : 
with  Him  the  reign  and  triumph  of  eternity.  I 

RESURRECTION,  OR  TRANSLATION  ?  ' 

Belief  in  immortality  is  one  thing;  belief  in  resur- 
rection of  the  body,  another.  The  former  is  found 
in  the  Old  Testament ;  not  the  latter.  Belief  in  future 
existence  i^  well-nigh  universal,  but  the  idea  that  the 


J  ■Mi 


m 


THE  SIGNIFICANCE  OF  IMMORTALITY  221 
brxly  would  be  resurrected,  or  was  in  any  sense  neces- 
sary m  the  Elysium  of  the  future,  did' not  fo"  tht 

li ttM   7  !^.\"^T''^  °'  '""''^  P*°P'^«'  <^°"^titute 
an  article  of  fa.th.     Egypt  was  the  exception  which 

.nade  the   rule  conspicuous.    Science   fortifies,   and 
philosophy  supports,  while  poetry  revels  in  the  pros- 
l.ect  of  immortality,  but  the  re-animation  of  the  human 
co.pse  has  no  place  in  science,  nor  philosophy,  nor  so 
far  as  I  can  rcmembtr,  in  poetry.      -        ^  ^'  "°'^'  "^ 
The  sense  of  immortality  is  instinctive,  and  so  far 
necessary  that  without  it.  human  life  could  neither  be 
normal  here,  nor  perfected  hereafter.     But  of  what 
use  could  the  cast-oflF  ruia^  of  the  body  be  to  an  im- 
mortal  spirit?    Flesh  and  blood  cannot  inherit  ttet 
l;mgclom.     If  it  be  objected  that  the  body  w  l/^ 
changed  "  that  is  but  another  way  of  acknowledging 
a  spmtual  existence,  and  implies  that  the  physical  ele- 
ments  must  be  gotten  rid  of;  another  means  to  the 
ame  end.     Pre-scientific  notions  "  changed     the  ma- 
enal  mto  the  spiritual  body.     Pauline,  and  scientific 
expositions,  reveal  that  life  everywhere  produces  Us 
own  body-and  everywhere  leaves  behind  it  the  was^ 
and  ashes  of  eariier  staap«!      Whof  ; 
nrn„.o    •      •     I  *^       ^^"^'  '^  permanent  and 

progressive  is  the  mysterious  factor  which,  retaining 
ts  dentuy.  can  pass  through  transformations  as  greaf 
as  that  involved  in  rising  from  the  f«tus,  to  the  babe 
to  manhood,  to  Plato,  to  Shakespeare  ' 

savinf  t'h  Tl""""''  ^^^  '"'"'"  ^"PP^--^^  Scripture  in 

rnVt'^Vor"^"^ " '''  ^^°""^'  -^"^  ^^'  ^^^■- 

Concerning  the  resurrected   body  of  Jesus,  two 


^ 


i  \  if 

i  : 


i| 


ii 


lb.,  iiii 


J.i 


i!l 


222    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 
points  are  important.     First,   it  was  so   far  supra- 
phys.cal  that  it  appeared  and  disappeared-the  doors 
being  shut.     Secondly,  Jesus  never  reappeared  to  the 
pubhc  after  His  crucifixion.     Is  it  not  written   "  Him 
God  raised  up  the  third  day  an  '  ^avc  to  »>°  made 
manifest,  not  to  all  the  people,  tut   unto  wi'nesses 
which  were  chosen  before  of  G  o    ?  (Acts  10:40 
40-    In  brief,  only  by  certain  spiritual  ru^io  vers  was 
He  again  beheld.     Some  of  these  saw  Him  without 
recognition,  and  others  who  "  saw  "  still  doubted 

Beyond  this  the  records  are  perplexing.     According 
to  certain  passages,  the  resurrection  body  was  as  badly 
mutilated  as  the  corpse.     Thomas  was  invited  to  thrust 
his  hand  into  the  spear  gash,  and  his  fingers  into 
wounds  distended  by  the  crucifixion.     Yet  Mary  rec- 
ognized not  Jesus  till  He  spoke  to  her.     The  Emmaus 
disciples  completed  their  journey  without  seeing  the 
scars  on  His  pierced  brow,  or  the  print  of  the  nails  in 
His  hands  and  feet.    By  "  chosen  witnesses  "  only  was 
He  seen,   yet  some  doubted.     Doubted!    After  be- 
holding the  wounds  in  His  hands? 
_   Again,  the  implication  of  post-resurrection  wounds 
IS  perplexing.     If  a  resurrection   body   retains  the 
scars  which  mutilated  it  before  death,  and  some  actu- 
ally sing  as  though  "  the  print  of  the  nails  "  were  still 
in  His  hands,  are  we  to  infer  that  all  bodies  in- 
jured at  death  are  to  continue  disfigured  after  their 
resurrection?    Could  that  be  true,  what  a  spectacle 
would  the  maimed  and  wounded  present  who  should 
rise  from  the  battlefield  or  the  martyr's  rack?    But 
enough!    Dust  is  dust.     Spirit  is  spirit.    One  does 


THE  SIGNIFICANCE  OF  IMMORTALITY    «3 

"<"  change  to  ehe  other.    We  ono-ht   ;„ 

ours,  to  trust  God's  laws  a„7teSg.      '"  '''  '"' 

THE  RELATION  OF  DEATH  TO  PROCESS 

wn,ch  as  we  have  shown  is  the  distortion  of  that 

lution  may  be  defined  a«  "-.  <,     *•  ^ 

/   uc  uenneci  as      a  continuous  oro^ressiV** 

tsiucm  lorces.    *    In  order  to  be  "  dpafV.  "  ^i,      l 

s*n  in   ,:  '1' ;■'  "":'"  ■'"  *'  ^"^""^  -"e^e  being 
inciden,;,  '  °"  '''  ""^"'^^  '°™  '"  «hich  i,  if 

^.e^S 'rhinrcf  What  ™7hT;;  ''T^ 
nenehcial  as  a  release  from  eiementary  stages     b„r 

e  rSrot'T,  "T  ^"  "=""■  ™»  «^'o^°- 

as  <1         n  ™n)  <"?';"  '"^  '--  -'-^  -  well 
n^  .    1,^ '"  ™a"^     There  was  supposed  to  have  been 

mrue  on  the  physical  plane.     Death  is  there  seen  to 
•LeConte. 


-1  * 

'^1  ! 


224    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 
be  the  constant  accompaniment  and  result  of  life  a 
represents  but  the  waste  and  remains  of  the  v! 
process.     We  regard    his  normal  process  as  a  "  pa- 
mg  destruction/'  incidental  and  necessary  to  life's  co 

ndXh  -"^'T'''"'  '^^  '^  regressive'death    da 

and  h  e  bemg  but  two  phases  of  one  process.     Ever 

body,  hke  St.  Paul,  dies  daily.  ' 

The  human  organism,  so  science  teaches,  is  a  color 

tissue.  Day  by  day  and  moment  b-  moment  dea 
-atter  is  expelled  from  the  system,  .ut  why  hou 
the  passing  of  decaying  matter,  an  essential  functio 
of  life  s  very  process,  be  regarded  as  "death"?  I 
really  never  is  except  at  certain  crises  where  an  entin 
physical  organism  drops  to  decay.     Wherever  the  con 

ZV  u  ''  "PP^'-^"*'^  broken  we  call  that  death 
But  where  change  can  be  followed  we  see  no  "  death  " 
nor  speak  of  the  "remains"  as  a  corpse.     When  a 

Z?%vT:h  '  '"^'  '''  ™'"^  ^'"^  ^°  -  -"er^ 

hrshell  ''    ".        ^TJV'  *°  "  '"°^^"'^°'  «till  floats 

!      u\u      *'"^  '^''^''"*     "PO"  'ts  ocean.     So  too 

andZ.?h  ^'"^"^P'"^  ^"'^ives  its  worn  out  body, 
and  that  the  remains  "  resembled  but  an  empty  cocoon 
after  the  butterfly's  translation,  we  should  perceive  the 
dissolution  of  the  body  to  be  as  normal  as  any  other 
process  incidental  to  life's  unfolding 

Here  lies  the  crux  of  our  problem.     And  it  may 
1^  viewed  m  wider  relations,  for  more  than  the  body 

re^rf     ul  P''^^''^^'^^  >'f^-     Any  mother  who  has 
reared  a  child  can  attest  that  in  her  home  there  have 


tj 


THE  SIGNIFICANCE  OF  IMMORTALITY  225 
been  many  different  little  lives  in  the  growth  of  one 
When  intelligence  dawned,  the  irrational  babe  had 
passed  away.  When  the  child  learned  to  walk,  the 
helpless  infant  had  departed  forever.  The  arrival  of 
each  important  stage  in  the  child's  development  saw 
he   passing   of   the    child    that    was.    into    a    new 

hi  he*r  '°°"  ^^''^^  *""  "^^^^  "^^^  ^°'"  ^  y^^ 

Of  all  this  upward  tending  process  which  we  call 
I'fe  (and  refuse  to  recognize  as  death)  the  period  of 
most  startling  renewal  is  puberty.  A  whole  world  of 
meaning  lives  in  adolescence,  and  this  we  must  ex- 
amine  later;  but  just  here  let  us  observe  that  the 
adoescent  IS  a  new  life,  and  tha    his  new  budding 

puberty.     In  regeneration  the  old  "  man  "  dies,  for 
he  being  is  "created  anew  in  Christ  Jesus."    The 

spiritual  transformation,  might  also  with  propriety 
b  used  o  those  lower  transformations  whichVa^ 
Illustrate  the  resurrection.  ^  ^ 

air  ttf  "'*'T  '?  '''°  ''"^^^^-  O^^^  -«d  over 
aga  n  the  race  has  been  bom  anew.    The  passage 

of  lower  types  was  necessary  and  auxiliary  to  the 
arnva  of  higher.  Had  our  progenitors  been  dowered 
with  lasting  terrestrial  life  there  could  have  been  no 
escape  from  the  brutality,  superstition,  and  Immorality 
of  pristine  ages.  Should  old  theologi  al  idea^3  lo  e 
oiS'l:'  ''''\f  P-P'^^*^  ^^'he  releasingtnd 
rent  swy^  But     '  '"°'"'°""^  '''''''  ^"^^  ^ 


'i:l 


i  '  I  ^' 

It  ' 


!  . 


3  'i  I 


«6    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 
I-st  one  g«>d  custom  should  corrupt.  ^IlorW 

generation  „„s    ^it  bX.heT"'  'n.'""'"" 

The  passing  of  ,he  Zl^T^  vlTT""^'- 
necessary.  T,,e  physical  L"  ™L  di  tT'.,," 
spiritual  may  be  put  on     "Tl,„  "'   ""^ 

.Hat  sbaU  b^u.re"^eJ'C;^"'^|f  H^^^T^^ 

'H/:rrs;s:i;^r^-'"^^^^^^^ 

sominff  of  nianf  Hf?  r     T    ^'  «^''°^'"Sr.  and  blos- 

hlnn.f  .        ^  ^'■°'"  ^^'■e  seed.     "Flesh  and 

DJood   cannot   inhpn'f   fi,^   i  •      .  *"" 

1'""i   innerit   the   kingdom   of   God"     R,.f 

in  victoty  "  "rc^/'^^^S'  "'«>■  '^  ^""llowed  up 

deartri;::;dt:rHr;:^^ra,Lrrbr"''''^ 

or  the  dismantling  of  cocoons  „,,e'thfl,f   t^""'' 
fostered  has  migrated  to  higher  sphere'  ''  °"" 

death    properly  at  all.     For  at  death  a  life  whoHy 


THE  SIGNIFICANCE  OF  IMMORT/.LITY    227 

disappears,  the  corpse  being  left  over;  and  that  this 
is  man's  last  foe— death  I    But  is  it  ?    How  else  could 
the  spirit  enter  upon  its  immortality?    How  else  could 
humanity  be  freed  trom  all  the  ills  that  flesh  is  heir 
to  ?    Its  emancipation  is  either  normally  related  to  the 
laws  of  the  universe,  or  els-   its  "resurrection"  is 
something  exceptional,  and  out  A  keeping  with  God's 
regular  working.     Those  who  believe  in  immortality, 
and  trust  St.  Paul's  exposition,  or  who  conceive  that 
the  universe  is  truly  a  universe  with  normal  laws 
throughout,  are  placed  in  a  position  where,  whether 
they  feel  it  or  not,  they  are  logically  forced  to  acknowl- 
edge that  the  continuance  of  existence  is  not  abnormal, 
but  part  of  God's  wider  law,  now  so  beautifully  dawn- 
ing upon  mankind. 

Progressive  life  is  regressive  death.  Life,  like  our 
Lord,  comes  not  to  destroy  but  to  f^Afl  Every  ful- 
filment is  a  destruction  of  the  prioi  order,  the  lower 
hfe;  but  its  death  is  fulHlled  in  the  higher  life.  This 
is  our  clue  to  the  resurrection. 

Hence  it  may  be  said  that  the  word  "  resurrection  " 
is  a  good  word  to  help  us  to  a  better  idea;  an  excellent 
transition  term;  because  it  puts  a  case  in  such  strong 
contrasts.  But  science  knows  nothing  of  the  back- 
ward turning  involved  in  the  old  idea  that  a  former 
body  could  be  re-inhabited  by  its  former  tenant. 
Process,  including  transformation  is  ceaseless,  but  it 
never  goes  backward.  It  moves  ever  forward.  To 
this  universal  law  may  be  added  another.  Life  every- 
where produces  its  own  body;  bird  or  fish,  saint  or 
villain,  the  life  within  gives  shape  and  expression  to 


:\\ ! 


228    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

body  and  feature.  To  say  that  a  tree  is  known  by  its 
fruits,  IS  but  another  expression  of  the  fact  that  tree 
and  fruit  reveal  the  nature  of  the  invisible  force  which 
produced  them. 

The  truth  so  definitely  taught  by  science  and  so 
clearly  observable  in  all  the  types  of  life  with  which 
we  are  acquainted,  represents  exactly  the  point  of  St 
Paul's  argument  in  the  fifteenth  chapter  of  First 
Corinthians.  Life  moves  forward,  by  growth,  by 
metamorphosis,  by  translation.  Its  living  is  a  'pro^ 
gression;  not  a  regression.  What  is  called  resurrec- 
tion constitutes  but  a  phase  in  its  unfolding  and  should' 
be  conceived,  not  as  taking  place  in  some  distant' 
future,  but  as  the  normal  continuance  of  developing! 
life;  a  spirit's  translation  to  its  higher  sphere— the i 
rums  or  waste  of  the  process  being  left  forever  behind 


XIX 
JUDGMENT,  HEAVEN,  HELL 

CONSONANT  with  the  language  of  Scripture, 
and  the  finding  of  science,  daily  experience 
proves  that  jud^  iient  is  a  continuous  process, 
issuing  in  rewards  and  penalties  according  to  ever- 
operative  law.  Without  artificial  interference,  or  pro- 
nouncement, "  the  way  of  the  transgressor  is  hard," 
and  "  the  wages  of  sin  is  death."  "  He  that  soweth 
to  the  flesh,  shall  of  the  flesh  reap  corruption ;  he  that 
soweth  to  the  spirit,  shall  of  the  spirit  reap  life  ever- 
lasting." In  this  sense  judgment  can  neither  be  es- 
caped nor  postponed.  Sickness,  death,  defeat;  health, 
life,  success;  depend  on  the  observance,  or  the  viola- 
tion of  elemental  laws. 

So  far  Scripture  and  Science  are  at  one.  Diverg- 
ence appears  only  when  parable  and  picture,  expressly 
employed  to  mould  the  conduct  of  the  masses,  are 
accepted  as  scientifically  accurate.  How  far  our 
Lord's  presentation  of  Judgment  in  the  twenty-fifth 
chapter  of  St.  Matthew's  Gospel  is  parabolic  remains 
to  be  determined.  That  the  universal  is  often  ex- 
pressed in  Scripture  by  dramatic  contrasts,  we  have 
already  recognized;  that  it  is  so  regarding  this  theme 
need  not  surprise  us.  Care  will  need  to  be  exercised 
lest  we  eliminate  any  elements  that  ought  to  remain; 

sag 


;ii 
!     -    ft 


"J.'    ' 


m 


ii 


1} , '  * 


230    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 
for  no  one  can  consider  physical  death  without  fedingi 
that  such  a  cns.s.  closing  as  it  does  the  temporal  career ' 
of  a  spirit,  must  tell  profoundly,  if  not  determinatively 
on  judgment.     One  or  two  of  these  influences  may  ' 

but  It  will  be  better  first  to  indicate  a  principle  which 
because  inevitable,  may  be  expressed  in  unqualified 

no^'Ta.'t  '^\'''  ""^^  "lust.  forever  persist,  there  can  be  i 
no    last    day,  and  no    judgment  "  which  will  release  ! 
It  from  the  influence  of  law,  rendering  further  re- 
sponsibility impossible.     The  dramatic  setting,  already 
referred  to,  of  a  "last"  judgment,  served  Ldly  to   , 
picture  to  minds  unfamiliar  with  universal  laws  the   ' 
issues-rewards  and  penalties-of  life.    What  is  need- 
ful is  to  see  behind  the  picturesque  presentation  the 
realises  which  fit  into  the  living  universe.     Not  less 
terrible  are  they  for  the  sinner;  but  wider  far,  and 
greatly  more  glorious,  for  the  saint.     Were  there  a 
final  judgment  in  the  sense  usually  attached  to  these 

Trl  ih  *  ""^""^^  :T^'  ''''y  ^^'"^  '"  the  universe 
from  the  reign  of  law.  If  judgment  be  inherent,  as 
the  normal  result  of  law,  then  it  is  by  nature  eternal 
Once  the  idea  of  the  universe,  as  science  knows  it 
IS  conceived,  it  becomes  as  certain  as  God  that  jude- 
ment  is  as  continuous  as  life,  and  that  it  is  the  "  life  " 
itself-its  obedience  or  rebellion-that  makes  happi- 
ness  or  pam ;  Heaven  or  Hell. 

The  placing  of  an  artificial  hiatus  between  physical  ' 
decease  and  the  Heaven  of  the  spirit,  introduces  in  ^ 
superable  difficulties.     Imagining  a  period  centuries      ! 


♦U  i 


JUDGMENT,  HEAVEN,  HELL         231 

long,  wherein  disembodied  spirits  a\/ait  the  grand 
assize,  prevents  us  from  seeing  that  earthly  life  is 
but  an  elementary  stage  in  a  continuous  existence 
which  is  no  more  delayed  by  emancipation  from  the 
body  than  the  career  of  the  skylark  is  delayed  by  the 
broken  shell  from  which  it  is  hatched. 

When  we  witness  the  death  of  a  saint  we  are  present 
at  the  translation  of  a  spirit.  "  To-day,"  said  Jesus 
to  the  dying  Penitent,  "  shalt  thou  be  with  me  in 
Paradise."  There  is  no  comatose  state  for  an  im- 
mortal oul.  "  No  centuries,"  to  us  Dr.  Lyman  Ab- 
bott's expression,  "  of  marking  time  till  other  contin- 
gents arrive."  Life  is  a  piece,  and  its  normal  con- 
tinuance progressive. 

But  progress  is  not  all  that  is  assured.  The  death 
of  the  body  must  tell  profoundly  on  the  subsequent 
career  of  the  spirit.  One  of  its  plainest  influences 
would  seem  to  relate  to  the  spirit's  emancipation  from 
the  flesh  and  the  passions  thereof.  In  the  future  life 
man  will  certainly  be  freed  from  many  elements  which 
here  impede  its  development.  Carnal  appetites  and 
their  burning  will  be  left  behind;  as  will  also  tem- 
poral objects  and  ambitions  of  the  material  order. 
With  the  falling  of  the  body  they  will  lose  their  con- 
tent and  value.  When  the  body  returns  to  the  ground, 
and  the  spirit  to  God  who  gave  it,  the  emancipated 
spirit  will  be  delivered  from  all  the  lower  types  of 
temptation  which  on  earth  sprang  out  of  the  flesh. 
Take,  for  instance,  the  victim  of  alcoholism,  who  to 
the  end  has  fought  his  bitter  foe;  he  will  have  no 
more  craving  for  liquor  than  a  butterfly  has  for  the 


: 


41 

il 
111 


■if 


•III 


ff^ 


■  I- 

li 


'32   THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 
focHl  of  the  caterpillar.    He  will  enjoy  opportuni, 
for  <leve  opmen.  unimpeded  by  his  besetting  i^nT 

lt:-  ,  rnd  ?:  '°T'"!''  "■  -'^"  -'""- 

hM  iTJ  ^  """"'''^  •"  a  realm  where  the  thin, 
that  have  value  are  the  very  things  which  they  hav 
h.ther,,,  neglected.    They  will  enter  the  futut  sphe 

n  sp,r„„al  p„verty_if  „ot  i„  spiritual  deaTh  '  N 
deahb,,,  „p^„,^„^^  ^^^  ^^^^^^  N 

afford  them  at  once  .-,  fr,.o,l„m  from  old  restraints  an 

rvti:rt"''™'""™'''-'^™''^^'^'>-^pe": 

Beyond  dispute  every  finite  spirit  must  enter  uiK>n 
h,s  trans-terrestrial  existence  w,th  all  the  pecu  arifc 
of  h.s  mental,  moral,  and  spiritual  habits.  That  fart 
ntust  affect  a.  least  his  initial  condition  and  progres 

0"^^""?"^  """'""  ">  '=  P-doned'  2  2d 
of  be,ng  hanged,  then  what  he  is,  still  livmg  on  the 
earth,  .s  exactly  what  in  character  and  spirit  he  wouM 
be  anywhere  else  in  the  universe.  Di.srobing  f rem  *2 
garments  we  wear,  whether  for  slumber  or    ran  ^a! 

we"ar?i„l tr "  '""'■="  ■"'-■    What  we  at. 
we  are  in  the  flesh  or  out  of  it. 

HEAVEN 

sMtual  It  would  be  material.  If  the  disembodied 
soul  enters  upon  a  wholly  spiritual  life,  its  experiena 
™s.  ranscend  the  material  order.  To  a  Un^^lZ 
tent  ,t  does  so  here  and  now.  When  delivered  from 
carnal  conr.ections  it  must  be  freer  far  tSIn  wWfe 


:j  i! 


JUDGMENT.  HEAVEN.  HELL  233 

embarrassed  by  the  "  lusts  of  the  flesh."  Nothing  is 
more  certain  than  that  future  existence  will  be  an 
emancipation  from  our  entire  physical  environment- 
fleshly  and  temporal— and  the  entrance  upon  an  exist- 
ence independent  of  things  material. 

Heaven  will  therefore  be  as  great  as  the  spiritual 
universe— as  great  as  God— who  is  our  Home.  The 
entire  universe— of  which  the  material  cosmos  is  but 
one  element— is  Heaven.  To  nothing  less  than  this 
is  the  finite  spirit  heir.  We  are  "heirs  of  Cod," 
That  means  more  than  that  we  are  heirs  of  the 
universe.  For  in  God  is  our  satisfaction,  our  Heaven, 
our  future  development,  and  our  "  eternal  life." 

Once  the  idea  becomes  clear,  it  becomes  compelling. 
No  "place  "  is  equal  o  stand  for  all  that  God  is  to 
us.  The  very  concei  .ion  of  "  place  "  is  inappropriate 
and  inapplicable  to  spirit.  When  we  conceive  God 
aright,  we  shall  lose  all  interest  in  materialistic  ideas 
of  Heaven,  the  spirit  must  have  a  spiritual  experience 
in  a  spiritual  realm. 

Do  the  saints  pass  immediately  at  death  into 
Heaven  ? 

H  what  we  have  said  be  true,  the  saints  do  not 
need  to  "  pass  into  Heaven  "  at  the  close  of  their 
temporal  career,  for  a  saint,  having  entered  upon  his 
spiritual  experience,  is  already  a  dweller  there. 
Heaven,  if  the  principle  we  are  advocating  holds,  is 
not  a  place,  but  an  inherent  spiritual  experience  made 
by  God's  indwelling  Presence.  Death  releases  the 
soul  from  fleshly  entanglements  and  in  that  sense  the 
spirit  passes  into  freer  spiritual  experience,  emanci- 


ivij^n 


I 


234  THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 
pated   from  carnal  temptations  and   infirmities.  y< 
Heaven    uture  and  Heaven  present  are  undoubted 
connected  parts  of  a  continuous  experience      Its  d 
ments  of  strength  and  happiness,  already  so  richly  en 
joyed    are  holmess  and  love,  and  the  peace  of  Go" 
vv.chpasseth  all   understanding.     Hea'ven.  like  th 
spirit  to  which  it    s  "  Heaven  "  m.,=f  ^(  ■ 

«.-•,,  ^icu\en,    must  of  necessity  h# 

't...!ua,.  and  i,s  glory  .he  .-.biding  qualities  o^d 
According  .„  the  laws  of  reali.y,  an.l  ,he  clear  nr^ 
n«unce„.en,  of  Jesus,  ".he  kingdom  of  Heaven  t 
w,  h^  you."  So  inevitable  is  .his  truth  tha  7om 
■t  there  can  be  no  escape  How  great,  therefore  the 
-ncenfve  ,0  cultivate  i..re  and  now  a  grow  h.er 
course  with  God! 

When  we  peer  into  the  future,  as  some  so  fondly 

a°e  imln  d  r'"  '"^'  '""  ^-""""S  circumstan  e 
are  impelled  .0,  one  of  the  problems  of  absorbing  in- 
terest to  occupy  attention,  especially  at  times  of  be- 
reavement, refers  to  the  recognitio/of  ou'^rs^^ht 

SHALL  WE  KNOW  EACH  OTHER  THERE? 

comfortfn?"'"'"^  "^"'u^'^"  '■'  ""'y  ^'  ^"^^^r^d  With 
comfort  ng  assurance  that  the  Scriptures  clearly  imply 
personal  recognition.     Moses  and  Elijah  are  repr^ 

and  Dive  •  who  across  the  gulf  of  their  separation 

a  ret/r  'T  T "'°"-     "^^^"^  P'^*"-  "-en  "s' 
a  realm  of  blessed  intercourse,  "  that  where  I  am  there 

reads,     I  shall  be  satisfied,  when  I  awake  with  Thy 


>  ) 


i  H 

L 


JUDGMENT.  HEAVEN,  HELL  235 
likeness."  Exultingly  cries  the  Beloved  Disciple,  "  I 
shall  he  like  Him.  for  I  shall  see  Him  as  He  is." 
The  hiw  of  our  preparation  therefor,  St.  Paul  sets 
forth  in  explicit  terms,  "  We  all  with  unveiled  face, 
reflectmg  as  a  mirror  the  glory  of  the  Lord,  arc 
transformed  into  the  same  image  from  glory  to  glory." 
And  again,  "  Now  we  see  through  a  glass,  darkly  •  but 
then  face  to  face:  now  I  know  in  part;  but  then 
shall  I  know  even  as  also  I  am  known." 

Harmoniously  with  the  Apostle's  declaration  of  in- 
creasing knowledge,  the  principles  of  science  perfectly 
accord.  All  past  progress,  whether  regarded  from 
the  standpoim  of  evolution  or  of  religion,  carries  a 
prophecy  of  yet  greater  progress.  By  normal  infer- 
ences  of  thought,  if  there  be  a  future  life  at  all  it 
will  be.  not  a  condition  of  lower,  but  of  more  exalted 
hfe.  not  a  state  of  failure,  but  of  fulfilment  and 
fruition.  Thus  science  brings  to  Christian  faith  the 
endorsement  of  "  process,"  life's  living  key,  and  with 
■Drowning 

"  Finds  progress  man's  distinctive  mark  alone. 
Not  God's,  and  not  the  beasts':  God  is.  they  are 
Man  partly  is  and  wholly  hopes  to  be." 

P(  sibly  a  difficulty  over  which  some  may  stumble 
IS  the  Idea  that  acquaintance  with  one  another  will 
depend  upon  recognition  of  bodily  form  and  features 
As  though  the  babe  that  died  last  week  will  remain 
toreyer  an  mfant;  as  though  the  "  corruptible  "  would 
not  put  on  incorruption  " ;  as  thun-h  spiritual  recog- 
nition would  be  less  effective  than  sensuous      Do  not 


m&. 


fcL*£'  » -'^Ui 


ff 


\-i 


* 


If  P 


■I    :      , 


236  THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 
Physical  bodies  with  their  L„Srit!,T'°""' 

and  forever  increase     It  n^Pri  «  *  k     •   .     ^"J^cver.j 
sex  differences  whTI  .  ^^  '"^^'"'"^^  ^hat 

with  God,  is  intuitiveTnd  instant 'inv",  '"'"""" 
sitiveness  and  certaintv  h.  '"^"^'/"^oJv.ng  a  sen- 
future  it  !  11         .""^y  ^yo"^  explanation.     In  the 

OCCUPATION   IN   THE    FUTURE   LIFE 

confidents,  "linTeMin,  •"  '""'<■   "'•«' 
If  at  .ts  temporal  close,  life  be  in,mat„re  morally^d 


JUDGMENT.  HEAVEN,  HELL  237 
spiritually  as  it  certainly  is  intellectually,  its  fulfilment 
and  completion  require  the  types  of  effort  which  will 
develop  these  qualities.  Personal  perfection  calls  of 
necessity  for  character,  volition,  and  responsibility,  all 
of  which  imply  normal  activity.  If  men  are  to  im- 
prove,  aspiration  and  effort  must  continue.  Is  not 
exercise  requisite  to  the  development  of  our  powers  > 
Surely  life  s  exaltation  must  forever  mc^n-achieve- 
ment! 

Where  it  is  held  that  responsible  action  is  limited 
to  the  present  life,  it  is  lliought  the  future  will  con- 
sist merely  of  effortless  joy;  Heaven  being  conceived 
as  fixed  and  endless.     There  is  no  suggestion  of  per- 
petual  motive,  volition,  or  responsibility.     Life   it  is 
supposed,  will  be  all  ease,  "sin  being  impossible  and 
virtue  almost  automatic."    Such  impressions,  all  too 
prevalent  of  a  static,  effortless,  irresponsible  life  be- 
yond, will  probably  yield  on  profounder  thought  to 
Ideas  more  in  harmony  with  the  inherent  principles 
of  the  universe.     If  life  is  s^l  to  be  life;  if  men  are 
to  develop  personal  qualities;  they  must  have  scope 
tor  their  powers  and  remain  under  the  laws  which 
govern  normal  activity.    Remove  motive,  responsibil- 
y.  and  love  s  self-sacrifice  for  others,  and  the  God- 
.ke  IS  taken  from  man.     He  sinks  below  the  creature 

Wm  for  *"  ^'"^  "^^^  "°^^^  "^^  ^^"""'^  "^^^P^  ^''°"* 

Thus  if  we  are  to  retain  our  divinity,  much  less 
increase  .t.  the  future  life  must  needs  be  earnest 
strenuous,  aspiring;  yea.  filled  with  solemn  meaning 
and  divine  responsibility.    "  The  popular  conception 


ivn 


-  t   ; 


^t| 


>lI 


238    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 
of  the  future  life,"  says  Professor  Newton  W.  Clarl 
"  needs  improvement  in  this  respect,  for  it  is  not 
consistent  and  intelhgent  idea  of  personal  contin 
ance." 

If  it  be  inquired,  what  scope  there  could  be  f( 

moral  eflfort  in  the  future  life?  we  reply  that  mora 

ity  is  ever  a  relative  term.     Are  there  not  grades  c 

moral  being  in  every  social  sphere?    If  we  adm 

grades  of  virtue  among  the  dying,  will  there  not  t 

similar  grades  of  merit  among  the  ransomed  whe 

they  enter  Heaven?    If  so.  and  if  study,  prayer,  an 

striving  be  requisite  to  their  advancement,  then  w 

see  one  aspect  of  moral  endeavour;  and  if  min*  tra 

tion  to  lower,  by  higher  spirits,  be  possible,  behol. 

another  aspect  of  moral  effort ! 

Two  other  thoughts  bear  on  this  interesting  prob 
em.     May  not  the  redeemed  in  glory,  though  invisible 
like  the     angels  "  be  "  ministering  spirits,  sent  fort! 
to  minister  for  them  who  shall  be  heirs  to  salvation  ": 
We  often  think  of  parents  who  have  passed  over  a« 
still  guarding  their  offspring;  and  who  that  has  had 
an  infant  spirit  translated  from  earth  to  Heaven  does 
not    .ve  to  feel  that  "  a  little  child  shall  lead  them  "? 
1,  about  one-third  of  the  human  race  die  in 
j         -/or  at  least  before  the  age  of  moral  accounta- 
li.  ^.  ,  thus  passing  into  the  spirit  world  in  all  degrees 
of   immaturity.     Do  not  such   spirits  constitute  the 
Fathers  care?    And  does  not  their  condition  make 
mstant  demands  upon  the  sympathy  and  assistance  of 
more  advanced  individuals  there?    Plainly  they  can- 
not remain  undeveloped.     If  they  are  to  come  to 


JUDGMENT.  HEAVEN,  HELL         239 
maturity  they  require  help,  teaching,  encouragement; 
and  are  they  not  in  the  best  circumstances  to  secure  it? 
Without  suggesting  that  "  sin  "  could  be  possible 
among  such  immature  beings  (though  the  angels  are 
represented  as  falling  from  their  heavenly  estate)    is 
It  not  conceivable  that  they  might  make  errors  of  act 
and  effort,  m  some  sense  corresponding  thereto-  and 
require  sympathy  and  help?    Whether  this  line  of 
thought  find  acceptance  or  not.  the  universality  of 
spiritual  laws  and  relations  implies  its  importance.    All 
who  die  pass  over  in  immaturity  of  various  kinds,  while 
as  we  have  seen  a  vast  host  enter  the  spirit  world  at 
irresponsible  age;  these  significant  facts,  with  the  im- 
phed  demand  they  make  for  the  development  of  char- 
acter on  the  other  side,  have  not  yet  been  admitted  to 
popular  thought;  nor  do  they  exert  due  influence  upon 
our  theology.  ^ 

But  do  not  the  Scriptures  im,.y,  as  popular  hym- 
nology  teaches,  that  the  future  will  be  occupied  with 
harp  and  song  in  universal  praise?    In  this  concep- 
tion ,s  nothing  inconsistent  with  the  idea  of  educa- 
lonal  progress  and  ministerial  activity,  unless  "  wor- 
DaL  '"  ?'""'"  be  construed  as  an  exclusive  occupa- 
pation.    Prayer  without  ceasing,  either  here  or  there 
s  possible  only  because  worship  is  spiritual.     Like 
breatbng  or  the  beating  of  the  heart,  like  gratitude 
and  joy,  praise  ought  to  be  a  concomitant  of  all  study 

to  the  Z    If  7    "  °"  '^''^  ^^"'^'P  '«  instrumental 
to  the  benefit  of  man.  as  well  as  to  the  glory  of  God 

why  should  it  not.  in  Heaven,  be  auxiliary  to  furth^ 

development?    For  those  who  have  faith  in  GodX 


m 


lli 


n 


240  THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 
future  opens  to  a  life  of  inexhanstible  development 
of  endless  education;  and  of  opportunities  for  cease' 
essly  contributing  to  the  value  and  advancement  of 
he  for  others.  Neither  personal  growth,  nor  min- 
isterial service  can  end  here.  There  will  always  bei 
somethmg  to  live  for. 

HELL 

According  to  the  principles  already  expounded  Hell 
can  neither  be  a  place,  nor  its  penalties  wholly  ex- ! 
ternal.     Like  Heaven,  it  represents  a  spiritual  con- ! 
dition  mder  cndent  of  place  or  time.     In  the  vemacu- 
^r  of  the  people,  as  well  as  the  poetry  of  Omar 
Khayyam,  the  word  "  hell  " 


(< 


Is  the  shadow  of  a  soul  on  fire," 


;1 
'1 


So  picturesque  in  its  description  is  Holy  Writ  that 
upon  us  ,s  laid  the  responsibility  of  looking  past  the 
symbology  employed  to  the  essential  reality     If  it 
be  written  of  the  blessed,  that  eye  hath  not  seen,  nor 
ear  heard,  neither  hath  it  entered  the  heart  of  man 
to  conceive  the  things  that  await  them,  well  may  we 
be  assured  that  similar  limitations  hamper  our  efforts 
to  conceive  the  pain  of  the  unrepentant;  nevertheless, 
some  of  the  principles  governing  future  penal  condi- 
tions  are  as  clear  as  day. 

In  the  first  place.  God  is  eternal  and  immutable; 
whatever  transformations  take  place  in  human  ex- 
penence  He  changeth  not.  The  same  God  is  above 
hnite  spirits  wheresoever  they  have  existence.  Pass- 
ing from  one  room  to  another,  or  from  on-  stage  of 


JUDGMENT,  HEAVEN,  HELL         241 

existence  to  another,  cannot  take  us  beyond  His  juris- 
diction, nor  change  His  attitude  from  love  to  hatred. 
Again,  there  can  be  no  part  of  the  universe  where 
law  is  rescinded  and  lawlessness  obtains;  otherwise 
the  universe  would  not  be  a  universe;  God  would  not 
be  Omnipresent;  justice  would  not  be  eternal.     Such 
a  "hell"  as  our  childhood  pictured  where  human 
beings    were    put    beyond    God's    jurisdiction,    and 
handed  over  to  the  fiendish  torture  of  unrestrained 
demons,  does  not  exist.     Everywhere  is  law;  every- 
where God;  everywhere  the  rule  of  Omnipotence. 
Injustice,  even  in  God's  uttermost  reformatory,  would 
still  be  injustice.     The  Mediaeval  limbo  with  its  orgy 
of  lawless  devils  working  wilful  torture  to  the  glee 
of  heavenly  spectators,  like  other  misconceptions  of 
the  past,  has  lost  its  hold  on  our  thinking. 

Unless  the  nature  of  the  universe  and  the  character 
of  God  undergo  complete  change  the  penalties  which 
follow  wrongdoing  can  never  be  vindictive.     God's 
nature  is  our  guarantee  against  the  offensive  idea  that 
He  feeds  His  wrath  on  the  sufTerings  of  His  creatures. 
While  science  goes  to  show  that  penalties,  being  pre- 
determined to  prevent  wrongdoing,  cannot  express 
parental  malevolence.     All  language  representing  the 
Lord  as  saying,  "  I  will  laugh  when  their  calamity 
Cometh,"  or  that  declares  "  He  that  sitteth  in  the 
heavens  shall  laugh ;  the  Lord  shall  hold  them  in  de- 
rision," should  surely  be  interpreted  as  the  anthropo- 
morphic ideas  of  a  primitive  age.    God  is  love;  always 
love.    For  all  persons;  sinning  or  repenting,  here  or 
hereafter;  God  is  never  less  than  God. 


ill 

i 


1 


-fi,- 


242    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE         i 
Furthermore,  since  man's  physical  nature  is  tem- 
poral, the  only  hell  that  can  enduringly  affect  him 
must  be  spiritual.     The  kingdom  of  hell,  by  very! 
necessity,  like  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven,  "  is  within' 
you    ;  and  therefore  in  nature  potentially  as  enduringi 
as  the  spint  that  suffers.     Nay.  since  life  is  intensive  ' 
he  that  soweth  the  wind  reaping  the  whirlwind,  it' 
may  be  accepted  as  a  law  of  misery  that  it  tendeth  to ! 
Its  own  mcrease.     If  conscience  be  the  worm  that  I 
die  h  not,  the  fire  that  is  not  quenched,  and  increas-  I 
angly  this  idea  is  becoming  the  sentiment  of  the  aee  I 
then  we  see  that  from  its  burning  there  is  no  more 
escape  than  from  one's  self.     We  take  our  heaven  or  I 
our  hell  with  us  where  we  go.     Illustration  of  this  ' 
occurs  in  the  case  of  homicides  who.  unsuspected  of  ! 
crime  have  kept  silence  until  their  secret  became  un- 
bearable,  and  who  have  offered  their  wretched  bodies  ' 
to  the  gallows  to  obtain  peace  of  conscience. 

But  a  momentous  problem  here  emerges.     Is  not    ! 
conscience  God's  throne?    Is  not  its  fire  His  burning-    ' 
Its  pain  His  imposition?     If  so  what  should  be  rt'    | 
garded  as  Its  object?    Is  it  restorative?    Are  penal- 
ties everywhere  preordained  in  mercy  for  protective    ' 
and  corrective  purposes?    Or  is  there  one  exception    ! 
where  they  constitute  purposeless  pain  ?    The  fact  that     i 
penalties  are  as  lasting  as  disobedience  and  tend  to     ' 
mcrease  with  its  continuance,  affords  a  clue  to  their 
nature  and  design.     Inevitably  are  we  compelled  to 
consider  future  probation. 


n 


XX 


FUTURE  PROBATION 

IN  the  future  state  will  there  be  opportunity  for 
repentance,  or  is  probation  limited  to  the  terres- 
trial stage  of  existence? 

Regarding  this  paramount  problem  the  Scriptures 
are  supposed  to  speak  with  single  voice,  and  to  deny 
the  possibility  of  restoration  to  all  who  die  unre- 
pentant. If  we  look  for  them,  however,  there  may 
be  found  messages  of  different  inport.  "in  the  para- 
ble of  the  rich  man  and  Lazarus  Jesus  indicates  that 
Dives  in  torment  is  to  some  extent  changed;  that 
conscience  is  at  work  in  him;  and  that  the  fountains 
of  sympathy,  so  long  locked  in  adamant,  have  at  last 
broken  loose.  Above  the  wail  of  his  own  to  nent 
rises  a  cry  on  behalf  of  his  brothers;  he  is  more 
humane  now  than  formerly,  and  his  altered  nature 
is  due  to  suffering.  One  being  at  least  has  become 
a  better  man  for  being  in  hell.  He  is  more  humble, 
and  less  selfish.  Love  wells  up  in  his  heart,  and 
prayer  rises  from  his  lips. 

If  the  torture  of  the  lost  only  tended  to  make  therr^ 
more  wicked,  as  some  think,  then  Dives'  voice  might 
croak  forth  imprecations,  and  his  vengeful  heart  gloat 
over  the  idea  that  his  brothers  would  in  due  season 
join  him.  But  even  a  lost  soul  is  anxious,  not  about 
himself  alone,  but  about  others  also. 

343 


1 1 


\4li 


244    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 
This  man's  suffering  was  clearly  remedial      t* 

not  devilish-inflicted  bv  a  fnZ^f   ""^  *  "^^^ 

Wherpvpr  if  r       ^      foe— for  torment's  sake 

bdnf  Th    p";;.'       '"J'  ''"^''  '°  "'^^^  h'"'"  -  better 
being.     The  Bible  teaches  quite  clearly   too   th^Z 

mfluence  of  our  Father  follows  men'bey";d" 
fo tomVh%'''.  r""  ^'  God-"  Whiiher  sha     I 

ff  m  1  f  ""^  '"^°  "^^^^"'  Thou  art  there 

If  I  make  my  bed  in  Sheol.  behold  Thou  art  ther   »' 

i5t.  John,  surpassing  the  Psalmist  in  ^  c  •. 
declares  of  Christ  that  "  H.T     t    .    d^fin-teness. 
and  of  Hades''  L        ,•        ^^'  *^^  ^^^^  ^^  ^^ath 
of  the  deadt  part  ,f7or^^^  *^^^  ^^^  P^- 

are  in  His  hL'     dI^^s  in"t;  ^u' "t'  ^'^  '^^^ 
of  God's  school "    t1  !t  .        Punishment-room 

and  can  wish  he  were  Jr^^L^fZlZ  Z^ 

enisH*.   "  Tu      '"'^"'.^'^^rer  when  he  adds  n  the  same 

terest  in  every  soul  in  fh         •  ""dying  in- 

every  soul  m  the  universe?    Until  every 


FUTURE  PROBATION 


245 


unrq)entant  soul  is  won  for  God,  how  can  He,  or 
worthy  beings  anywhere,  cease  their  striving?  The 
only  question  would  seem  to  be,  are  the  resources  of 
the  Creator  equal  to  the  task  of  inducing  all  His  chil- 
dren to  desire  true  life? 

It  may  be  conceived  that  certain  finite  spirits,  by 
some  power  which  we  do  no  understand,  might  over- 
match the  Almighty,  and  rei  lain  forever  uninfluenced. 
But  if  the  Infinite  be  as  much  greater  than  the  finite 
as  we  suppose,  it  would  seem  probable  that  even  the 
most  refractory  spirit  might  be  brought  at  some  time 
to  see  the  folly  of  continued  resistance,  and  to 
seek  relief  from  its  distorted  and  wretched  condi- 
tion. 

When  one  contemplates  the  awfulness  of  remaining 
wicked  forever,  he  cannot  help  hoping  that  God  com- 
mands enough  intelligence,  ix)wer,  and  h  \x  to  win 
every  last  misguided  son  of  man  from  wilfulness  to 
wholeness  of  life.  ' 

Upon  a  question  like  this,  man's  wider  acq-  aintance 
with  the  universe  and  its  God-revealing  principles, 
throws  gratifying  light.  As  we  have  seen,  Creation 
is  still  in  progress,  redemption  being  incidental  to  the 
primary  work  of  God.  The  stages  of  development  are 
as  unending  as  the  life  to  be  perfected.  Passing  from 
one  stage  to  another  does  not"  take  a  spirit  out  of 
the  universe,  n^^r  afford  escape  from  the  law  and 
Presence  of  God.  Has  not  a  butterfly  the  same  God 
as  the  caterpillar?  an  infant  the  same  God  as  the 
foetus?  Change  in  the  form  of  its  existence  changes 
neither  the  nature  of  the  universe,  nor  the  attitude  of 


ill 


If] 


^^■l^^UI 

^^^H 

J 

I, 

■ 

f  f  1  I 

♦' 

1 

ill  i. 

i. 

ii* 

^^^■v 

My 

1^5 

If 

246  THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 
God  toward  it.    If  "  Go,I  is  love,"  can  infinite  com 
passion  tc  changcl  to  endless  c,„sin,.> 

«n"°of'^hi'  '"'''^'«"'<"S  was  governed  by  the 
seme  of  the  universal,  may  be  inferred  from  such  a 

••rte  h"  ''  !^^°"°"'"e,  taken  from  HarJugh': 

tuJy  ago"" te  r"""'"?'':  =  ^'^^^'^  »'  "»"  ^  «"! 
tury  ago        The  Saviour,"  he  writes,  "  is  nerfectlv 

.iorof'.heT:''  "",'■ " '""  "•"^'"'^^ "'  '^"  '- 

account  of  their  final  mpenitency  His  feelings  toward 
them  have  undergone  a  change;  so  that  thoVrHJ 
once  d,s,„ssed  Himself  on  thfir' account  tK,^! 
^on  does  not  now  interfere  with  His  heavenly  feS 
Once  the,r  condition  cost  Him  tears,  but  now  He 
weeps  no  more!"  (page  267).  >"  "ow  He 

"He  oiice  loved  them!"    But  that  is  not  all   He 
determined,  before  He  created  them,  whether  „    not 
He  would  grant  them  opportunity,  at  any  time  any 
*here,  t„  repent;  or  whether  He  would  chin-  H^ 

Z7' ,  ..  ""V"'™'^  «"•=  created  in  love,  may  we 

e sen"  Hif  h"^'  '^  '"''■  f  """'"'•  -«  <-^-^^ 
resents  His  holy  purpose?    A  human  father's  dutv 

w  say   IS  to  educate  his  son.    And  that  obi  4»n 

Tatfe  fth""",  "^  "^  °"=  ""^  -^  '"'  Father  o? 
vl^'u    u    .      °''  """  *^   "»'   i"f«-  that   Divine 

His  childlnif  I  ■'■•  """'°""  consulting 

th  refo  f  h.  ^'V™  ™"''=^'  ''''^'™«'  ana  may 
therefore  be  assumed  to  take  an  endless  interest  in 
their  welfare-"  f„r  Hi.  goodness  endureth  forevL  " 


FUTURE  PROBATION 


247 


Penalties,  as  we  have  seen,  were  p  -w  .j\  n  t  in 
hate  but  in  love,  and  exercise  univ  .      ini  .try 

protective  and  corrective.     This  bci.  me  cer- 

tainty of  future  opportunity  carries  the  vv  eight  of  the 
universe  and  the  inevitableness  of  God's  purposeful 
love.  Consequently,  if  hell  is  anywhere  to  endure 
forever,  it  will  be  in  a  spirit  of  such  incorrigible 
wickedness  as  to  be  irresistible  to  the  resources  of 
Omnipotence.  In  that  case  a  finite  spirit  will  per- 
manently over-match  the  Infinite — a  conclusion  at  once 
dishonouring  to  "God,  and  a  violation  of  thought. 

Another  law  appears.  For  a  wicked  spirit,  any- 
where in  the  universe,  the  only  escape  from  hell  is  on 
the  inside,  where  character  is  changed.  Renewal  of 
a  spirit,  in  transforming  the  self,  abolishes  both  the 
wickedness  and  its  hell.  It  extinguishes  the  burning, 
annihilates  the  worm,  and  permanently  cleanses  the 
universe  of  a  blot.  Thus  the  restoration  of  every 
spirit  where  hell  exists,  would  effect  complete  annihila- 
tion of  hell  from  the  universe,  leaving  it  unsullied  by 
sin;  and  fulfilling  St.  Paul's  great  prophecy,  "  And 
when  all  things  have  been  subjected  to  Him,  then  shall 
the  Son  also  Himself  be  subjected  to  Him  that  did 
subject  all  things  unto  Him,  that  ^od  may  be  all  in 
all"  (I  Cor.  15:28). 

A  question  of  perplexing  practical  interest  arises. 
Be  the  consummation  above  presented  ever  so  de- 
voutly to  be  prayed  for ;  and  the  only  issue  either  sat- 
isfactory to  His  creatures,  or  worthy  of  their  Creator; 
would  it  be  safe  to  preach  it?  Would  not  the  larger 
hope  lend  to  relax  moral  endeavour?    Nay,  were  the 


i-Sf 


I 


hi^ 


-'l^. 


m8    THK  SCIFNCE  OF  SPIRlTir  \l  LIFE 
possibility  .(  .-uture  re,  .ntan.e  pmcla  „cd  would  not 
society  plun,     madly   ,nto  sin?     W.-uld  any  at  aU 
repent  m  thi    ..fe.-'  ^ 

Asamattuoffac.  P,.T,- 
conv,ct.on  of  s.n  a.  I  H.e,     ..row  th.refor     avin; 

penence^     The  .ajoru.    .  r  .  .0.   s  j  -  ople  are  - ,  ..wer  ed 

docethen    ^o  p,.  off  r        ,ano    s  ,   .p.^ed  bl  the 
f^Tver-  love  thai   H  ,ws  in    ^rd  ' 

that  I-     >ws  no  <  ca    ng. 

Ackn,vvIedL,u!g  '   f  irrepu-  ,b 
which  characteri:  es  ^umanit^    are 
mcorrigibirs,  i.  sef-^ib..  to  a:^      oeal 
dom,  and     host  un.-.-  rescue        evc^ 

.5 


.nH 


»jn 


le  search 
d 


or 

ftOWi 

u  vc  and  v\ 
this  i  V  ,  •'J'y  >»«  confessed  that 

m  the  (!  ,ctrir     lere  n-p^      «,i   ♦»,•    •         '^"^c  i  mat, 
is  dom       rhcr.     %r         ^'.  *^'%'^  P^«<=«ely  what 
mere  is   no  ^si-  n  of  penalties     THp 

P"P.I  ..  se,,,  into  th     ,„,.,  ^  .-nofhop^sj^t 
«v..er  treatmen,  e  pres  are  which  forTear 

if  -_.    .  Z       '  ^^-^^  niade  sinning  dear  or 

I       ri  he.      n-  '  ^''  ^'"PP^^  ^^^y'  ^"^  the  im- 

1       n'^he.     .p,ru,  awak.ns:  with  a  new  sen.o  fo  its 

^;.,;    "'    ,""       the  consciousness  of  past  error, 
and  ..ht     wmlne .        >■       >ndifinn     Tt,  i.-       , 

mamn.    .  has  been  ■     i  T      '^^"'^'P  ^^ 

that  enHnr7        u  .  "^'"^  °"  ^'^^^J  the  things 

that  endure;  exaltation    f  mind  and  beauty  of  spirit- 


a 


FUXrUE  PROBATION 


249 


all.  all,  are  wanting  What  ati  awakening !  Yet  not, 
O  Lord  of  Justice,  not  to  blank  despair;  not  to  endless 
defeat  both  for  the  soui,  ai  '  its  God! 

The  sentiment  of  the  u-  erse.  more  like  that  of 
the  Home  or  of  *he  School,  assumes  that  every  pupil 
must  be  brought  into  subjection.  Disr'nline,  so  far 
from  being  discontinued  after  the  first  brief  effort, 
where  the  pupil  passes  through  its  most  elementary 
grade,  is  continuous;  and  endless  until  repentance. 
Man  has  to  cease  from  evil.  He  has  to  learn  to  do 
well.  God's  dealing  with  men  involves,  for  its  suc- 
cess effective  discipline  as  well  as  complete  restoration. 
Hii  Gospel  is  not  poorer  on  this  account,  but  infinitely 
richer;  for  it  put  Irresistible  Love;  Irresistible  pres- 
sure; Irresistible  success,  into  its  message.  The  sin- 
ner, soon  or  late,  must  surrender.  Resistance  is  hope- 
less. Escape  there  is  none.  Every  soul  must  be 
saved.  The  way  is  through  death  to  life.  The  longer 
su -render  is  deferred,  the  deeper  the  death,  the  severer 
the  hell,  the  greater  the  loss,  the  slower  the  recovery, 
yet  ultimately  Gud  must  triumph.  The  finite  shall 
yield  to  the  Infinite  Will. 

But  is  not  the  threat  of  endless  torment  a  great 
moral  motive?  No  doubt  in  days  long  past  it  was 
employed  with  tremendous  eflfect.  To  people  unac- 
customed t< '  consider  the  doctrine  in  its  relation  to  the 
character  of  God  or  the  laws  of  the  universe,  it  was 
stai  ^lingl  terrible— the  extremest  sanction  of  conduct 
presentable  to  the  imagination.  But  ir  the  davs  nf 
Hdwards  and  Fir.iey,  not  to  g(  d 

thinking  of  men  has  undergone 


m] 


'^1 


myir 


M:J:\^^' 


250  THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 
now,  conceiving  universal  law  to  express  the  will  of 
a  Beneficent  Being,  descriptions  of  a  torture,  as  vin- 
dictive  as  endless,  and  forever  to  no  profit,  aflFect  men 
differently.  Encountering  a  new  in«.  -lectual  view  they 
excite  a   different    sentiment      In   overshooting   the 

r  .rl^u'^''^'^''^"'  "'^^  '^'''  P^'-P^s^'  causing 
thoughtful  hearers  to  reflect  on  the  deficiency  of  the 

preacher  rather  than  upon  their  own  personal  con- 
dition Lower  grades  of  being  may  indeed  be  held  in 
check  by  fear;  yet  rightfully  we  feel  with  Burns 

"  The  fear  o'  hell's  a  hangman's  whip 
To  baud  the  wretch  in  order," 

With  the  immature,  possibly,  it  may  be  politic    per- 
haps practically  necessarv.  to  use  figures  which  owe 
their  effectiveness  to  the  auditor's  deficient  knowledge- 
though  even  with  children  this  seems  to  be  overdone' 
and  often  as  unwise  as  immoral;  but  where  intelli- 
gence has  become  developed,  appeal  must  be  made  to 
intelligence.     Parables,  Jesus  taught  us.  are  for  the 
untutored  expressly  because  of  their  incapacity  for 
truth's  deeper  meaning.     Human   wont   is  to  seek 
God,  noi  for  terror's  sake,  but  moved  by  love  and 
truth's  unceasing  lure.    The  value  of  penalty,  both 
here  and  hereafter,  remains  undisputed;  nevertheless 
the  power  of  the  Gospel  is  Jesus  and  Him  crucified. 
Men  are  won  rather  than  driven  to  the  Father. 

The  doctrine  of  penalty  for  wrongdoing  is  as  glori- 
ous  as  necessary,  being  in  fact  but  an  aspect  of  the 
universal  reign  of  law;  but  what  would  be  the  good 
of  more  than  adequate  hell?    Its  only  purpose  could 


FUTURE  PROBATION 


251 


be  to  express  malignant  animus;  but  for  God  that  is 
precluded.  Exaggeration  may  be  justified  on  the 
ground  that,  to  use  Dr.  Beecher's  famous  simile, 
"  rhetorical  exaggeration  does  for  a  truth,  what  the 
microscope  does  for  the  wing  of  a  fly;  it  enables  one 
to  see  it  better."  Still  one  cannot  help  asking  iC  it 
be  just  to  say  that  God  hates  His  own  anywhere  in 
the  universe,  or  regards  them  with  unforgiving  spirit  ? 
Is  not  our  present,  our  eternal  Judge, 

"The  same  yesterday,  to-day,  and  forever"  ? 

Can  we  suppose  Him  on  the  Cross  praying,  "  Father, 
forgive  them,"  and  yet  harbouring  a  spirit  of  retri- 
bution ?  Are  we  warranted  in  teaching  that  our  Crea- 
tor has  no  interest  in  us  except  during  the  brief 
moments  of  a  transitory  day? 

Why  should  not  prophets  like  Isaiah  and  John  the 
Baptist,  McCheyne  and  Moody,  use  their  splendid 
powers  in  the  spirit  realm  for  reclaiming  spirits  yet 
untouched  by  God's  love?  They  have  the  dower,  the 
training,  and  the  eager  zeal  to  do  it.  Has  not  God 
the  desire  to  permit  them  ?    Who  shall  say  "  no  "  ? 

One  might  believe  in  the  total  annihilation  of  an 
incorrigibly  depraved  spirit,  or  in  the  possibility  of 
his  restoration,  but  what  is  impossible  in  an  age  like 
ours  is  to  believe  in  an  existence  unvarying  and  sta- 
tionary forever.  No  such  state  is  known  on  earth, 
nor  imaginable  hereafter ;  and  our  conception  of  equitv 
makes  it  hard  to  think  of  imposing  pain  inescapable 
and  everlasting  for  the  deeds  of  a  human  span. 
Should  one  creature  attempt  to  torture  another  un- 


r.iii 


:j:i;t    !i 


252    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 
ceasingly  would  we  not  resent  the  crueltyl-    Yet  i 

r^in  'pri'**"  T  "'"  '°"'"'""'  "^'"  '"  >»»■ 
c«ed  ^V„  t  '"'."™'y  J°"«  ""'«•  "  Most  edu 
cated  men  m  these  days  have  repudiated  the  belief  tha 
God  p,„,shes  the  wicked  with  torture  to  all  eteLrty 
They  have  done  so  not  because  they  have  weigtd 
the  arguments  for  and  against  this  particular  dw  rine 
bu,  because  they  have  adopted  other  beliefs  whfch  are 
.nc^pafble  with  it.    They  have  changed  their  vie^ 

thefitno?^   r  '^"'"^  '■'  ^  '"""'■"'"•ally  that 
TOy  cannot  any  longer  give  the  name  of  God  to  a^ 

.™°  r'"  ^"^■.  °'  •-""■••  -  "-o  was  „nl;  1 

IS";;  tn'?ft:r."''""  °' ""-  "«="- 

Another  light  sheds  lustre  upon  the  question.    How  '' 

of  the  condition  m  which  spirits  cross  the  border  I 
I>.  not  saints  inspired  by  glorious  visions  freq^^l  ' 

Wh  n'rh^'Tr^i  '''""^^  •"  '"=  «"Sn'  ' 
When  the  hour  of  dissolution  steals  upon  the  unsaved    I 

do  they  not  commonly  feel  pangs  of  regret  eCs^' 

by  repentance  or  self-reproach,  some.iL  by  sn^  ' 

caZest."?""''"'^"""'  ="*  '"■■*  "ter^h  T  i 
carna  e  state  m  an  attitude  of  repentance,  or  at  least    ' 

of  self-dissatisfaction;  and   some  in  ut  er  desS      ' 

Z°LZ      "^"'  ""*'"  '"  "■<^'' :  "»'  nothing    ' 

b"  disappoint,  an  there  meet  the  distressed  soulf 

•"JesusorChn.         .8a. 


FUTURE  PROBATION       '         253 

If  we  apply  the  prayer  test;  and  this  is  a  case  in 
which  it  ought  to  be  applicable;  we  discover  that  in 
praying  for  the  redemption  of  sinners  our  prayer  feels 
right.  If  we  try  to  pray  according  to  traditional  be- 
lief concerning  the  majority,  prayer  is  impossible.  But 
wlien  we  turn  to  the  possibility  of  all  being  saved, 
at  some  time,  somehow,  somewhere,  we  pray  with  all 
the  fervour  of  our  nature,  and  find  ourselves  calling 
on  God  and  everybody  else  to  help.  With  Tennyson, 
the  1^^  trt  instinctively  yearns 

"  Oh,  yet  we  trust  that  somehow  good 
Will  be  the  final  goal  of  ill, 

• 

Thit  no  one  life  shall  be  destroyed, 
Or  cast  as  rubbish  to  the  void, 
When  God  hath  made  the  pile  complete." 

But  why  so  passionately  can  any  one  pray?  Why 
does  the  motive  ring  true?  What  the  source  of  the 
desire  ?  Is  it  of  good,  or  of  evil  ?  Whence  originates 
the  moral  sentiment  which  is  making  belief  in  our 
age  so  different  from  that  of  old?  As  John  Page 
Hopps  says,  -  In  the  dark  days  of  the  past  it  was 
natural  enough  for  men  to  believe  that  the  King  of 
Heaven  would  do  what  the  kings  of  earth  were  al- 
ways doing.  Now  we  reform  our  criminals  if  we 
can;  we  do  not  torture  them.  We  try  to  calmly 
measure  out  punishment  adequate  to  offences,  and 
hkely  to  promote  virtue;  we  do  not  crush  in  a  spirit 
of  revenge;  or,  if  we  do,  we  come  to  see  that  the 
spirit  of  modern  civilization  is  violated.     And  what  is 


''i 


..  f 


.-,«' 


r) 


t  1 


■I  f; 


254    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

01  tne  living  God  to  living  man  ?  " 

loITr'  r-  P'''  ''"^^'•°^^"'  whatever  old  theo- 
logical formulations;  the  soul's  inextinguishable  hon^ 
finds  voice  in  Tennyson's  phrasing:  "^"'^  ^°Pe 

"I  can  but  trust  that  good  shall  fall 
At  last— far  off— at  last  to  all." 

But  one  cannot  help  feeling  that  the  poet  has  cut 
the  roots  of  his  desire  from  their  real  Soul  when 
putting  himself  on  the  plane  of  a  beingln^^kbTe  "f 
inspiration,  he  goes  on  to  say:  '"capable  of 

"So  runs  my  dream,  but  what  am  P 
An  infant  crying  in  the  night. 
An  infant  crying  for  the  light,' 
And  with  no  language  but  a  'cry." 

Nobler  far,  because  linked  by  argument  with  certain    i 
truth.  ,sFarrar's"Eten.al  Hope."     Not  night    bi" 

Tnd  t  afH:        m'"^  ""'  "'"  ^^^"^'  '^  He  be^ab  .    : 
And  that  He  is  able  is  assured  by  growing  revelation 
The  question  is  a  problem  of  wills.    Can  God  con  rol 
eveiy  finite  will  ^tHout  injustice  to  its  nat^re^'^Tut     I 

rusit"     ""  ""'^°'.  '  '"'^^  "'"  ^-  ^-^'  -thou      ' 
crushing  or  wronging  it,  is  more  than  assured-  for  in 

every  home  and  every  school  that  problem  is  re'ceivi  " 

pra  t,cal  solution  daily.     Unless  immature,  impulsive 

parenL%"    "'r '"V"^  ^-^^Pe^  aright.  t;acher  Tnd 
parents  fail.    Can  God  fail?    Shall  a  finite  will  con- 


t  . 


/i 


FUTURE  PROBATION  255 

quer  the  Almighty?    Ultimate  and  eternal  loss  of  a 
single  soul  would  be  pathetic  demonstration  that  God 
had  created  what  He  could  not  control.     Let  those 
who  believe  that  God  is  destined  to  be  permanently 
defeated,  do  what  they  can  to  save  a  remnant  of 
humanity,  and  let  them  call  that  the  Gospel;  but  a 
larger  problem  surely  confronts  both  the  Creator  and 
His  co-workers;  for  how  can  God,  or  the  striving  uni- 
verse, or  any  worthy  spirit  in  it,  find  lasting  rest  until 
every  perishing  being  in  existence  is  saved?    Once 
was  it  devoutly  believed  that  beholding  the  torture  of 
the  damned  would  add  to  the  bliss  of  the  Redeemed— 
a  sentiment  no  longer  tenable.     Along  with  it  is  pass- 
ing the  kindred  idea  that  worthy  beings  anywhere  can 
fold  their  hands  in  idle  indifference  to  the  woe  of  the 
unreclaimed. 

But  what  shall  we  say  concerning  the  activity  of  un- 
repentant spirits  in  the  other  world?  If,  as  we  be- 
lieve, the  redeemed  when  translated  still  take  a  per- 
sonal interest  in  earth's  pilgrims,  does  not  such  a 
faith  imply  also  the  possibility  of  evilly  disposed 
spirits  exercising  malevolent  influences,  or  even  of 
becoming  tempters  to  entice  men  to  ruin  ? 

In  Chapter  XIII  it  was  proved  that  no  devil  was 
needed  to  originate  the  first  sin,  because  in  order  to 
the  production  of  a  devil  some  spirit  (untempted)  had 
first  to  sin.  Men  are  Mh  tempted  "by  their  own 
lusts  and  enticed,"  an^  are  exposed  also  to  manifold 
temptations  from  their  fellowmen ;  thus  was  it  shown 
that  adequate  explanation  of  all  temptation  can  be 


mi 


'WM ' 


* 


^11:. 


■   'VI    {.I 


ri'i 


n 


fifp 


«56    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE   I 
made  without  conceiving  humanity  as  exposed  to 
nv.,ble  world  of  malignant  spirits,  who  a«  supp^s 

ing  men  to  everlasting  woe. 

But  if  there  be  anywhere  bevond  the  present  h' 
unrepentant  beings  will  they  not  by  all  theTow  r 
he.r  wickedness.   ..hour  for  man's  r«in?Tjin 
th^s  Idea  an  argument  was  left  over  from  Chapter^! 
which  may  now  be  stated.  ^ 

(I)  It  is  plain  that  change  from  temporal  sm 
roundmgs  must  place  even  the  worst  of  spi'r^und^ 
an  entirely  new  spiritual  discipline.     What  on  eartl 

.er^iiolrLX'^cvTwre  t^  n^*  f  '""  ' 
controlled  malevolent  be.tgstr  i  rpll^t  2  ' 
real  universe      Tf  +ji»-     u  .  f'«»«-c  m  rne 

.Here  m„r^  ^[.Lte  ti^t  "aTIlr"  l^t"'  I 

no  oart  nf  tv-^       •  ""' verse,  a  realm  which  is 


4.  ry   , 


XXI 
MODES  OF  SPIRITUAL  CULTURE 

FROM  theology,  a  matter  chiefly  of  thinking,  we 
turn  to  religion,  a  matter  supremely  of  feeling. 
Theology,  to  adopt  a  common  simile,  is  to  re- 
ligion what  optics  are  to  vision,  an  explanation  of 
spiritual  experience;  it  enables  us  to  give  a  reason 
for  the  faith  that  is  in  us.    Religion  presupposes  cer- 
tain elemental  conceptions  upon  which  it  is  grounded. 
Crude  these  may  be  and  unexamined,  or  mayhap  de- 
veloped into  picturesque  mythologies  or  perhaps  elab- 
orate  systematic  theologies,  yet  like  the  tree  producing 
Its  fruit,  there  they  are,  the  religion  getting  its  flavour 
and  aroma  from  the  source  that  bears  it.    More  than 
feeling,  more  than  sentiment,  more  than  worship   re- 
ligion is  "  life."     suing  in  conduct  and  the  formation 
of  character.    Nevertheless,  for  the  fact  that  feeling 
is  recognized  as  its  most  pronounced  element,  there 
is  sufficient  explanation.    Man  was  religious  long  be- 
fore he  undertook  to  account  for  his  peculiar  experi- 
ence.   Ages  of  mental  and  moral  development  were 
required  to  bring  to  light  th,  rational  principles  and 
e  hical  significance  of  his  spiritual  life.    But  feeling 
always  present  and  often  pronounced,  constituted  its 
most  evident  factor,  and  consequently  bulked  more 
largely  m  his  appreciation  than  its  unsuspected  ele- 
ments. *^  ^ 

as? 


258    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

re^.T.u   '^-"'"'^  "^'  ^"^'"^^^  P«^«"  transcendin 

reason,  the  primacy  of  feeling  may  be  conceded,  neve, 

heless  must  the  okj  emphasis  placed  upon  this   once 

t.on  be  modified.     Not  that  religion  is  destined 

become  poorer  .n  feeling;  for  its  emotional  power  w 

assuredly  mcrease  and  its  quality  improve;  its  cont^n 

bemg  ennched  as  humanity  undergoes  development 

Already  vanous  types  of  feeling  and  emotion  wWc 

once  constituted  the  essence  and  zest  of  worship  an 

forever  deleted  from  religious  rites,  and  can  b^  r  1 

prded  from  our  elevation  only  with  revulsion.    Feel- 

mgs  change  with  rites,  while  both  rites  and  feelings 

change  v,-,th  the  development  of  thought.    Certainly 

too.  as  man  becomes  more  sensitively  moral  will  hU 

ehgion  widen  into  more  delicately  practical  applica' 

^on     In  short,  religion  and  theology  are  tending  ever 

more  nearly  to  identity;  that  is.  to  a  type  of  L  or 

h''?;  '"  ""^f  '"^"^^''  /-^^'«^;  and  voliHon;  the 
three  factors  of  spiritual  life,  constitute  an  harmonious 
union,  manifested  in  God-like  conduct 
Where  theology  is  conceived  as  an  arrangement 

^^tiflu  TT^-  '°''"'"'''  ""^  P^°^"^'"&  '•^"Its. 
not  vitally  but  by  imputations  and  transfers  of  merit 

religious  experience  must  be  regarded  as  quite  different 
from  the  causes  supposed  to  produce  it.  There  can 
be  no  similarity  between  the  result  and  the  arrange- 
tnen.s  by  which  it  is  secured.  Where,  however,  the- 
ology explains  experience  in  terms  of  life,  theology 
and  religion  are  so  viewed  that  the  Life  and  its  fruk- 
age  are  seen  in  causal  relations.  Religion  becomes 
the  product  and  expression  of  the  Divine  life  in  man 


MODES  OF  SPIRITUAL  CULTURE      259 

Objectively  he  becomes  radiant  with  a  new  life;  sub- 
jectively he  enjoys  an  experience  which  can  be  cor- 
rectly denominated  as  a  new  birth,  and  can  be  ade- 
quately described  in  no  other  way. 

So  multitudinous  are  the  influences  by  which  spirit- 
ual culture  is  efifccted  and  so  many  of  these  are  either 
undiscerned  or  unappreciated  that  Spiritual  Culture 
may  to  advantage  be  considered  under  two  heads.  ( i ) 
Recognized  modes  of  spiritual  culture.  (2)  Unrecog- 
nized modes  of  spiritual  culture. 

I.     RECOGNIZED  MODES  OF  SPIRITUAL  CULTURE 

1.  Private  Worship.— Tht  means  commonly  em- 
ployed by  Protestants  are  secret  prayer  and  study  of 
the  Bible;  fostered  by  parental  counsel  and  supple- 
mented devotional  reading  and  memorization  of  the 
Catechism.  Other  communions  add  to  these  various 
practices  such  as  adoration  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  ven- 
eration of  images,  relics,  icons,  etc.,  the  sign  of  the 
cross,  the  use  of  the  rosary,  worship  of  the  saints,  and 
all  sorts  of  fasting,  penance,  observation  of  holy  days 
and  the  like. 

If  we  go  beyond  Christianity,  yet  other  methods  of 
religious  culture  are  recognized  and  practised  with 
faith  as  sincere  as  are  any  of  the  modes  above  men- 
tioned. The  waterwheel  and  windmill  are  still  devices 
of  religious  merit  in  the  East.  Bathing  in  the 
Ganges,  wor-^bip  of  ancestors,  depositing  food  on  their 
graves,  etc..  _re  customs  still  in  vogue.  Ascetic  prac- 
tices, to  us  no  less  foolish  than  frightful,  such  as 
flagellation,  laceration  of  the  flesh,  mutilation  of  the 


M- : 


260    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFR. 

t^Z^nu"" """  '""  "^''''"'  '"  "'-  -!**< 

.s.in,  ru''''"-  '*'''"*'>-Thc  public  worship  of  Prof 
P  fie"™::'  '"  *"  "''"■'""^«'"'  ""-•-■  com 

Roman,  and  Greek  churchc  employ T.Zes  ri^ef  ?". 
elaborate  "remonial-splendid  .go'g  oTartC  ,V '  r 
^,es.«.  .mpressive-.„  .ppea,  J.he%o:^' C^h  I^J 

disco„.in„ed/l"■:rs^o^7;^ret:k'? 

trate  the  (rend  of  past  improvement. 

DISCARDED  RITES 

Time  was  when  the  highest  art  ^f  i,, 
was  the  sacrifice  of  UuJn    L     '^^  ^haT"  M  "''' 
where  the  victim  was  selected  bv  Jot  o      I         ^'  ^'  , 
surrp«:sf,.i  .-^  ^cictiea  oy  Jot,  or  where  a  tribe  ' 

successful  m  war  offered  the  life  nf  =.«  ! 

imfnM  ^  ^^*  ^°  impious  a  wrone-  vet 

untold  ages  were  required  to  improve  the  °Sfa  on 
which  .  was  based  and  to  expunge  the  rL  ^m  tL::     ^ 


\ 


MODES  OF  SPIRITUAL  CULTURE      261 

•orship.  In  Abraham's  sacrifice  of  Isaac  we  have 
Kcorded  the  lesson,  whereby,  for  the  Hebrews,  correc- 
tion was  imparted.  Nevertheless  for  centuries  Israel 
caused  their  children  to  pass  through  the  fire  to  Mo- 
lech  and  gave  "  the  fruit  of  their  bodies  for  the  sin 
of  their  souls." 

Sexual  indulgence,  once  practised  in  splendid  tem- 
ples as  a  rite  of  high  religious  significance,  was  re- 
pressed with  great  difficulty.    Thousands  of  years  of 
developing  sense  and  sentiment  were  required  to  sub- 
due this  awful,  lust-exciting  practice.     Like  human 
sacrifice,  its  presence  in  Israel  was  reflected  in  the 
condemnation  raised  against  the  worship  of  Baal  and 
Ashtoreth.     Fearful   licentiousness  was  not  merely 
sanctioned,  but  constituted  part  of  the  worship  of  these 
deities.    Representing  as  they  did  the  procreative  pow- 
ers, male  and   female,  their  worship  led  to  terrible 
immorality.    Over  and  over  again  the  "  groves  "  were 
cut  down,  yet  for  centuries  vilely  continued  to  reap- 
pear, kings  like  Solomon  and  Ahab  conniving  at  the 
presence  of  "  strange  women  "  and  thei-  deadly  traffic. 
When  one  realizes  the  enormity  of  the  evil,  the  failures 
recorded  of  Hebrew  legislators  and  prophets  to  stay 
this  tide  of  wrong  make  pathetic  reading.    So  long  as 
the  worship  was  permitted,  suppression  of  prostitution 
was  impossible.     In  Egypt  and  Chaldea,  as  well  as 
m  Phoenicia,  temples  were  enriched  by  the  proceeds 
of  licensed  infamy.    Among  the  Greeks,  as  we  read, 
the  "  Ikiairae  "  were  "  an  aristocracy."    Temples  of 

Venus  were   not  merely   numerous,   but  crowded 

"  their  devotees  included  every  man  in  Greece." 


M 


'n 


m  f! 


^fi-'    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

totll'""  '"*'•  '"''  ™  '"'S''"  8™""'!.  we  co' 
•o, no  her  praCce,  whkl,.  once  «,.cmcd  a.  ,he  Jt 

ac.  an.  supreme  expression  of  worship  has  been  H 


HUMAN  SACRIFICE 


Regarcl.iig  human  sacrifice,  it  mav  easilv  h-       ' 

»^'i  I.    y  mat  tne  issue  went  •  r^i.,  i 

testams     Victo-.  rested   vhl^  >         ''''v  h"™r.  con- 

offerin/could  l^    "  ""  conceptions  what  otherl 

viiciing  couJd  be  so  appropriate? 

LI;  i.       •  "^  "  '^""'J''  ^  """^h  ■"•  Ihe  eift  of  I 

hi^ht,  H        "sacrifice  was  recognition  of  the  Deity's  ' 
h  ghesl  den,ands,  and  proof,  on  the  part  of  thi  n^em 
of  extremest  devotion.     Luminous  under  this     ^r: 

I 


MODES  OF  SPIRITUAL  CULTURE      263 

barous  rite  shines  the  meaning  of  sacrifice  unto  the 
uttermost.  We  may  practise  sacrifice  differently,  but 
in  it  lives  ihe  same  principle,  refined  of  its  injustice, 
free  from  its  cruelty,  and  made  at  once  a  personal  and 
"  living  "  sacrTice;  even  as  the  Apostle  Paul  exhorteth, 
"  I  beseech  you  therefore,  brethren,  by  the  mercies 
of  God,  that  ye  present  your  bodies  a  living  sacrifice, 
holy,  acceptable  unto  God,  which  is  yorr  reasonable 
service." 


SEXUAL  RITES 

But  why  should  sexual  gratification  ever  have  con- 
stituted a  religious  rite,  and  what  worthy  service  could 
it  fulfil?  According  to  our  thinking  it  is  wholly 
odious,  and  could  but  serve  to  inflame  passioTi.  Viewed 
however  in  relation  to  human  development  it  is  not 
wholly  meaningless  nor  has  its  contribution  been  value- 
less to  the  race.  Time  was  when  population  was 
scarce,  epidemics  and  plagues  frequent,  and  wars  al- 
most continuous.  The  greatest  need  of  the  tribes  was 
increase.  Their  chief  prayer  was  for  children;  their 
greatest  blessing  male  oflFspring;  their  only  safety  in- 
creasing numbers  of  young  men. 

Two  things  were  wanted;  numbers,  and  males. 
What  more  natural  than  that  their  greatest  need 
should  be  taken  in  desire  to  the  gc  Js !  Then  how  could 
sexual  passions  be  purged  of  recognized  wrongs  and 
brought  under  control  ?  When  one  reflects  that  from 
conditions  of  almost  free  sexual  intercourse  the  race 
has  been  developed,  through  polyandry,  and  polygamy 
of  various  grades,  up  to  monogamy;  anr  not  merely 


,  -Mi 


! 


264    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

to  monogamy,  but  with  the  repulsive  custom  of  con- 
cubmage  abolished,  one  can  easily  see  that  ages  of 
education  were  required  to  bring  under  control  man's 
fiercest  passion.  To  purify  its  practice  by  subduing  it 
to  the  sway  of  religion  was  undoubtedly  one  purpose 
of  the  rite.  As  mankind  developed,  the  custom  lost 
caste,  fell  under  condemnation,  and  has  become  all 
but  extinguished. 

ANIMAL  SACRIFICES 

As  to  animal  sacrifice,  no  one  would  hold  that  the 
slaymg  of  sheep  and  oxen,  and  the  blood  of  fed  beasts 
could  in  our  day  be  pleasing  to  God.    Yet,  possibly' 
there  are  not  a  few  who  believe  that  at  one  time  the 
odours  of  sacrifice  must  have  been  a  sweet  savour 
unto  the  Lord.    Else  why  were  sacrifices  instituted? 
If  viewed  as  a  transition  from  the  barbarous  prac- 
tice of  human  sacrifice,  and  in  that  sense  a  necessary 
stage  in  the  development  of  mankind  toward  worship 
which  IS  sacrificial  only  as  it  is  self-sacrificial,  its  insti- 
tution becomes  explicaHe.     In  serving  to  lift  primi- 
tive peoples  from  lower  to  higher  levels  we  see  its 
place  m  history  and  the  evolution  of  religion      Its 
condemnation  by  Prophets  and  Psalmists,  that  later 
generations  might  rise  to  higher  ideals  and  better  wor- 
ship, reveals  a  continuation  of  the  same  movement 

Up  to  the  time  of  Abraham,  both  human  and  animal 
sacrifices  were  reverently  practised.  Under  Israel  the 
fomier  was  stamped  out  and  the  latter  greatly  modi- 
hed.  Associated  as  Hebrew  sacrifice  was  with  cere- 
monies of  purification  and  practical  instruction,  it 


MODES  OF  SPIRITUAL  CULTURE      265 

resulted  in  teaching  Israel  the  holiness  of  God  and 
the  sinfulness  of  sin,  and  carried  their  minds  forward 
to  that  sacrifice  in  which  it  should  be  fulfilled  and 
abolished. 

As  the  cruelty  and  injustice  of  human  sacrifice  were 
seen  to  be  offensive  to  God,  so  were  the  bloody  rites 
of  animal  sacrifice  afterward  discovered  to  be  odious 
in  His  sight.  Lor?  before  they  ceased  to  be  practised 
they  were  condemned  by  holy  men  of  old  who  spake  as 
they  were  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost.  In  this  splendid 
service  the  Hebrew  poets  bore  a  noble  share.  Assum- 
ing the  Fifty-first  Psalm  to  be  Davidic,  then  a  thou- 
sand years  before  Christ  was  it  written  "  Thou  de- 
lightest  not  in  sacrifice,  else  would  I  give  it.  Thou 
hast  no  pleasure  in  burnt  offering.  The  sacrifices  of 
God  are  a  broken  spirit;  a  broken  and  a  contrite  heart, 
O  God,  thou  wilt  not  despise." 

Resenting  the  idea  that  man  in  sacrifice  makes  a 
present  to  God,  the  Fiftieth  Psalm  represents  Him  as 
saying,  "  I  will  take  no  bullock  out  of  thy  house,  nor 
he-goats  out  of  thy  folds,  for  every  beast  of  the  forest 
is  mine  and  the  cattle  upon  a  thousand  hills." 

Condemning  the  idea  once  prevalent  that  sacrifice 
is  the  food  of  the  gods  to  whom  it  was  offered,  Je- 
hovah says,  Ps.  50: 12,  "If  1  were  hungry  I  would 
not  tell  thee,  for  the  world  is  mine  and  the  fulness 
thereof.  Will  I  eat  the  flesh  of  bulls  or  drink  the 
blood  of  goats?  Offer  unto  God  the  sacrifice  of 
thanksgiving,  and  pay  thy  vows  unto  the  Most  High." 
Stronger  still  reads  Ps.  40:6,  "  Sacrifice  and  offering 
Thou  hast  no  delight  in,  mine  ears  hast  Thou  opened. 


'     LK  in 


t  I 


Ui 


f-h- 


^\ . 


r« 


r  ™e  science  op  spiritual  ufe 

Bur«  Offering  and  sin  offering  has.  Thou  no.  ., 

the  Prophe.s.    To  them  1  oT^f^  """"'«;  "!»■ 

for  in  .he  condemnaH™  of  .he  „W   T'"  "'"^'^''' 

lored  .he  way  for  the  new     P.      °"'"'  "">'  P"-'" 

monies  .hey  nas.„rf  ,„      ■  •        """  "•«  and  cere- 

cenh,ries  JorHec^eth""?""  '""^''  ^-'■«- 
"on  of  the  Spirif   T^' f^  "'^'"^  '"  «»  dispensa- 

"tr  'he  impor.  Of  .hl'r^r"  ""'"  ""'  •» 
As  to  sacrifice  •  "Tn.     u  "6*=- 

of  your  sacrifices  unT:  t^'  ^^f  'l  "f  "'""""^' 
offerings  of  rams,  and  U^l'  f  j    T/""  °'  ""«  •»«•■« 
deligh.no.in.heCo  t-^°/  ""  **-'=•  »«  I 
al»mma.ion  un.o  me    v„,„  T      '  '  '  """'"^  '»  an 
P0.n.ed  feasts  my  soul  h^bZ""^"'  '"''  ^°"  "P" 
■ne;  I  am  weary  to  b^^h,  ""7  "^  "  ''""Me  un.o 
forth  your  hands  I  wuf  hide  ^-        "  """  ^'  'P^'d 
*hen  ye  make  man!  pr  '  rXT  '?T  ^°"'  ^"^ 
""""s  are  full  of  bl<iKl     ^LbZu       u  ^'^"  '""^ 
pu.  away  .he  evil  of  vourT    ^    /  ""■"  ^ou  clean, 

«ye».cease.odoev»Cor'  'T  "^'"'^  ™™ 
«heve  .he  oppressed  X°h  7f  ""^  J-IPnent, 
the  widow.  Come  now  to  '!'  ''""""«•  P'"<i  'or 
(Is.  . : ,  ,-,8).  •   "  "'  "^«on  together."  etc. 

Stronger  s.ill  speaketh  r^A  .l 
^"^  (i-^i).  "iZTiT       ""^^  ""^  Prophet 
"i"  take  no  d  light  irJoLsT''  """  ''^«^'  ^"^  I 


MODES  OF  SPIRITUAL  CULTURE  2(^7 
ings  I  will  not  accept  them,  neither  will  I  regard  the 
peace  offerings  of  your  fed  beasts.  But  let  judgment 
roll  down  as  waters  and  righteousness  as  a  mighty 
stream." 

Yet  more  fiercely  Micah  assails  sacrifice;  especially 
human  sacrifice.     "Wherewith  shall  I  come  before 
the  Lord  and  bow  myself  before  the  Most  High  God? 
Shall  I  come  before  Him  with  burnt  oflFerings,  with 
calves  of  a  year  old.?    Will  the  Lord  be  pleased  with 
thousands  of  rams  or  ten  thousands  of  rivers  of  oil? 
Shall  I  give  my  first-bom  for  my  transgression,  the 
fruit  of  my  body  for  the  sin  of  my  soul  ?  "    L   reply 
to  these  momentous  questions  he  declares,  "  He  hath 
showed  thee,  O  man,  what  is  good,  and  what  doth 
the  Lord  require  of  thee,  but  to  do  justly  and  to  love 
mercy,  and  to  walk  humbly  with  thy  God  "  (Micah 
6:6-8).    And,  finally,  Hosea  reveals  the  idea  of  the 
Eternal,  "I  desire  mercy,  and  not  sacrifice;  and  the 
knowledge  of  God  more  than  burnt  offerings." 

Religious  rites  have  spiritual  worth  only  to  the 
extent  that  they  express  worthy  ideas;  should  they 
therefore  involve  also  injustice  and  impurity,  as  did 
the  rites  we  have  been  considering,  they  lose  value  as 
their  defects  become  exposed.  The  truth  lives  to  be 
embodied  in  purer  forms.  The  errors  fade  and  die; 
or  where  entrenched  in  popular  regard,  require  steni 
repression.  Where  serious  moral  wrongs  have  been 
wrought,  as  in  the  sacrifice  of  human  life,  or  where 
fierce  lusts  have  been  cultivated,  as  in  sexual  rites 
nothing  less  than  suppression  of  the  entire  ordinance 
could  effect  the  remedy. 


}  '■ 


!    i 


tii 


^68    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

order-  or  nf  ,«  •  ^'sregard  of  beauty  o 

may  monopolize  attention  ,.1        ^™"">''s  elemenfc 

shipper.    Excesses  mari^fe»'dT"'  '°  ""  "»■- 
»"«  <Wr  elimination  a  duty     The  „  V  "!«''->'Ous, 
»"ali.y  requires  symmetrf^f  ^Xl^r  "' ^'- 
Improvement    ,>  ,.  n   I        development. 

reveMon  orpr^^^tire  o^r"-  "'""^  ''-  -X 
"hich.  raisin,  m7n  r;  ^UrZ?'  ""•k/"''"'-' 
perceive  defects  in  u  "5"  '^''"'' '™bles  him  to 
Whence  i,  ap;^ars  that  1^1  \  t"''"^  "•«°"'- 
together-nof  4  equd  bu?  h  "  """"'P  ""»'"? 
'^e  higher  facuyertdX'  ^,  "thl^w  """""- 
backward,  and  so  bringing, J  "1,  "*"  "'  "«"' 
■"etry,  upon  higher  S.    '         ^  ^P^^'-nate  sym- 

Revelations  entirely  outsirf,  „f 

«™menUI  in  its  impLem  „,  as  7        "  ""^  ^  '"" 

■ntellectual  advance  changTsL       I  'f""'''  "''"' 

and  alters  man's  attitude  to  God     ?  /'  ""  """"^ 
"•at  the  uplift  of  man  de„    ,,  ^"'''""'^'y  «  h  >rue 

alone,  but  upon  e  er?fa«ro/."°'  "•""  ^"■^■°'' 
"hich  is  capable  of  d^jopmenf  H  """"'""'  ■*'"« 
•■on  to  the  complex  aggre«To,  '.i  v"""  ""'  ""'" 
ual  value.  Intelligent  rdi^l  c,v,tot,on  has  spirit- 
«>ce,  interact  i„  the  n'roH  ^.  '  ^"''  <'"'"''^'  «P«-i- 
P^rfection  of  tC  lle'^an    ™  "'  •«-«%-^l.. 

"nuyt*  noted  that  the  complex  movement  whereby 


MODES  OF  SPIRITUAL  CULTURE    269 
modes  of  spiritual  culture  are  sifted  and  purified  on 
the  one  hand,  and  on  the  other  widened  and  improved 
operates  under  a  single  law.  which  must  be  regarded  as 
ultimate;  viz.,  that  man's  conception  of  God  deter- 
mmes  at  once  the  spirit  and  the  expression  of  his 
worship     This  may  be  seen  by  appeal  to  the  past. 
Uhere  the  gods  were  conceived  as  malevolent,  as 
by  primitive  people  they  frequently  were,  sac  ifices 
were  intended  to  avert  or  soften  their  wrath.    Where 
they  were  regarded  as  benevolent,  sacrifice  took  the 
cast  of  a  friendly  meal.    Both  ideas  were  modified  and 
raised  to  a  higher  plane  in  the  Mosaic  ritual;  and  later 
in  the  institution  of  the  Sacrament  of  our  Lord's 
5)upper,  were  completely  transformed.     When  God 
was  conceived  after  the  idea  of  an  Oriental  despot 
worship  took  on  the  abjectness  of  slavery  rather  than 
the  trustfulness  of  childhood.     Where  the  Almighty 
was  thought  of  as  pleased  with  rites,  processions,  and 
gaudy  displays  performed  in  His  honour,  worship  em- 
bodied  these  notions  in  impressive  and  costly  specta- 
cle.   Where  Quaker,  or  Methodist,  or  steady  Presby^ 
tenan  conceives  worship  to  be  a  spiritual  exercise, 
valuable  as  it  ,s  pure  in  motive  and  educative,  issuing 
m  personal  graces  and  practical  goodness;  worship 
may  lose  its  cast  of  display  and  become  disproportion- 
ately  sermonic,  or  meditative.    In  every  case  however 
the  underiying  motive  governs  the  outer  expression 
ihe  spirit  our  worship  breathes;  its  modes  of  expres- 
sion; and  the  quality  of  character  it  produces;  all 
depend  upon  the  dominant  conception  of  God,  which 
Whether  it  be  examined  as  in  our  day  all  experience  is' 


A  ■■.' 


'  '  ■  :  "    -J 


ml 


270    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

l^^"*/'!'"  ""  '''P"''  "'  ™"'»  -"explored  bei, 
sends  forth  its  mysterious  waters 

■ty  IS  stil    n  process  of  creation  and  that  religion 

sho'lnT'"'"^   ''"""  '"  •■''  God-likeness,   wZ 
houW  be  regarded  supremely  from  the  standpote 
ttseffecl,ve„ess  m  Ihc  making  of  personality     Ob 
cntenon  .s  there  none.     What  man  needs  and  wh 
God  requires  of  him  is  perfection  of  character, '"h 

LlThini' .'''°™  "'  '"'"™  °'  "^  °"^  '^•"'^ 
Chiefest  among  the  defects  of  primitive  worship  wa 

Les  t  f"/"";  '"°"'"^-  "^  ^-«'  d'fect'^ 
s"",  ,"''"''  '"  P°^'''^  '•■=  *hole  life  for  ChrisI 
Since  re, g,on,s  no.  a  work  to  be  done,  but  rat^e 
the  spirrt  m  which  all  work  should  be  done  worsh , 
should  be  viewed  as  a  means  to  an  end.  I^owt 
accordingly  our  requirements  in  self-sacrificrtoi^ 

fSTf\:c'^"r/ » ^-"  «-es"anr .: 

traits  of  the  Spirit;  clues  are  at  hand  for  our  euid 
ance  m  the  improvement  of  worship  ^ 

Differences  of  clime,  of  temperament,  of  heredity 
may  necessitate,  in  the  future  as  they  ha^e  in  the  nalt' 
var.d  types  of  worship;  while  ea'rly  traini^  C 
render  forms  not  inherently  the  best,  yet  practicallv 
jnos.  effective,,  bene,  criticism  must  „«ds  b!?p  n„r 
.olera«on  a  virtue;  and  both  patience  and  cautio'  meri: 

Possibly  religious  observances  will  ever  require  sift- 
•ng;  "hile  modes  not  as  yet  ecclesiastically  L^'^ 
may  receive  places  of  honour  i„  „,e  world    Dou^fe« 


MODES  OF  SPIRITUAL  CULTURE      271 

as  the  race  becomes  more  cultured,  worship,  without 
losing  any  of  its  inherent  beauty,  will  become  more 
chaste  and  simpler,  and,  though  not  less  aesthetic,  yet 
probably  less  sensuous.    Religious  emotion  may  attain 
to  ecstasy  as  inexpressible  in  the  simple  worship  of 
the  Puritan  as  in  the  ornate  ceremonial  of  earth's 
most  resplendent  cathedral.    Yet  there  is  a  difference. 
The  latter  possesses  sensuous  elements  not  present  in 
the  former;  which  is  more  wholly  a  spiritual  or  super- 
sensuous  experience.    One  type  is  priestly  and  mystic, 
the  other  personal;  spiritual;  thoughtful.    The  latter 
approximates  more  nearly  to  the  nature  of  private 
worship.    Its  rapture  grows  out  of  an  inner  experi- 
ence where  ideals  are  under  contemplation  and  per- 
sonality developed.    Increasingly,  it  would  seem,  reli- 
gious  services  are  destined  to  become  educative.    The 
truth  that  makes  men  free,  and  the  activities  which 
make  them  valuable,  must  by  merit  find  a  central  place 
and  importance  in  the  worship  and  work  of  the  Church 
From  being  a  place  of  priestly  rites  rendered  to  secure 
God  s  mercy,  the  Church  is  becoming  a  living  channel 
of  forth-going  power.    The  rapture  of  devotion,  not 
less  but  more  refined  than  of  yore,  finds  itself  har- 
nessed to  enterprises  as  wide  as  the  race;  as  practical 
as  the  elimination  of  slums;  as  beautiful  as  interna- 
tional charity. 

Outside  of  the  Church,  moreover,  must  always  be 
derived  a  certain  proportion  of  our  spiritual  culture- 
for  personal  power  and  spiritual  graces  are  derived 
trom  the  practical  discharge  of  daily  duty.  Worship  as 
a  means  to  an  end  takes  not  the  place  of  other  means, 


lU 


272    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE  ' 

but  sanctifies  other  methods.    Strangely  enough  ma 

o  me'n  r^  "'"^'^  "^  ^^^  ^-/ht  into  the  fi 
of  men  the  elements  of  spiritual  worth  have  long  I 
hidden  or  disguised  from  their  participation  "n  I 
du^nest  culture.  Unconscious  at  all  of'any "eLc 
significance  humanity  has  embodied  in  its  civS 
ma.ypn.ctic.  which  have  for  mankind  pXd 
spmtual  worth.     These  unrecognized  moSes  of  re 

c^  ^::::;::„^^^^-^  --^^^--  -  -« -w^: 

n.    VNRECOOmzED  MODES  OF  SPIRITUAL  CUI-,8E 

Old  as  the  ages,  new  as  the  morning,  rich  with  ore 

spwlrrT  "■""  "«  «'°"°-  «velat."n  „7 
spintually  tending  universe.  The  whole  creation  i 
en^ged  ■„  a  work  which  the  Chnrch  once  con«,"  e 

t^.T't^2:z:r  '"^'  '''•  -^^ 

„„f.^  according  to  a  sentiment  once  un.":?. 

cally,  or  rather  ecclesiastically,  alone ;  things  sacred  aSl 

Unngs  secular  being  sundered  by  an  im^ssable  g^f 

The  one  ,vas  wholly  of  God,  the  other,  not  of  &i 

Uno?"t  7  l'""""  ^  "  spiritual  da^U         1 

wit?hX      :  *'  ™"  °'  knowledge  has  risen 

«1^   7       .'  Tf    ^^""""^  ^^""^  '»  'he  Ad- 

>s  our  Fathers  and  possesses  value  for  us     "Th,^; 

ea«h  ,s  the  lord's,  and  the  fulness  thereo?"-a  Iti 

Ze't:  f""  V  ■""■,;  ■"•• '°'  ■■'»  ^^y-^  ->f-  i 


MODES  OF  SPIRITUAL  CULTURE      273 
Splendid  revelation  though  it  be,  only  of  late  has 
It  been  forced  upon  human  attention  that  God  is 
making  a  non-religious  spiritual  conquest  of  the  world. 
The  paradox  involved  in  this  assertion  lies  of  course 
in  the  words,  not  in  the  reality.    So  long  has  mankind 
Identified  the  spiritual  with  the  religious,  and  the  re- 
hgious  with  the  ecclesiastical,  that  ordinarily  the  spirit- 
ual  and  religious  are  not  recognized  except  under  their 
ecclesiastical  guises.     Yet  spiritual  forces  have  their 
work-day  clothes  as  well  as  their  Sunday  dress,  and 
operate  every  day  of  the  week,  in  thousands  of  non- 
ecclesiastical  modes. 

Examples  have  already  been  cited  (Chap.  IX)  of 
the  economic  aid  soc    ;   moral,  and  civilizing  power 
of  the  steam  ergiae  and  other  inventions.     Our  in- 
troductory  chapters  demonstrate  that  the  new  astron- 
cmy  re-created  man's  conception  of  God  and  the  uni- 
verse;  that  geology  and  every  other  science  has  broken 
the  sea  s  of  new  revelation  which  one  by  one  have 
widened  the  immensity  of  the  cosmic  order  and  ele- 
vated our  Ideas  of  its  Creator.    Likewise  every  world 
of  added  knowledge  has  contributed  something  to 
mans  moral  and  spiritual  uplift.    I„  short,  non-reli- 
gjous  research  has  proved  to  be  religious  investigation. 
Non-ecclesiastical  workers  have  unconsciously  opened 

hX'of  m~  ""^^'°"'  ^^"'•'  ^"^^^^-^  ''^ 

tn-^?  J!  °^'"'"^  *^'  ^^''  °^  intelligence  has  con- 
tnbuted  to  spiritual  advance,  sj  also  have  the  multifold 

prophet  declare,  the  spfritu-J  vrJue  of  "work"  to 


r 
/ 


274    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 
the  race-^hc  worth  of  regular  employment  in  th 

tenal.  type  of  manhood?  Divine,  if  not  divine- 
among  the  mstitutions  for  human  development,  mu^ 
be  considered  the  systematic  and  normal  exercise  o 
man  s  facu  t.es.  For  work  there  can  be  no  substitute 
nor  equivalent.  Without  it  personality  of  peerles 
qual^y  were  inconceivable;  and  progress  impossible 

covery  ?    Where  intellectual  development  and  conquest 
or  mans  God-like  dominion?    What  discipline  could 
take  the  place  of  the  school,  the  home,  the  field   the 
factory?    What  could  fashion  manhood  like  the  slress 
of  busmess  and  the  grave  emprise  of  economic  and 
socjological  problems,  where  "  Ground  in  yonder  sociali 
null,  we  rub  each  other's  angles  down  "?    Under  the' 
stern  demands  of  the  World's  activity  we  gain  experi- 
ence.  ms.ght.  poise,  and  self-control-a  spiritual  as 
well  as  practical  discipline  which  prepares  us  for  the' 
worship  and  service  of  God.    Work  may  be  considered  ' 
as  the  travail  pain  whereby  much  of  that  which  has  ' 
value  m  us  comes  to  being.    In  this  sense  is  it  creative,  i 
Physical  forces,  unlike  spiritual,  may  produce  effects  1 
wi  hout   weariness;  but  for  man  achievement   costs  I 
tod-sweat   of   brain   and   heart-yet   not    without  ' 
reward.     For  by  very  thought,  volition,  and  aspira- 
tion; an  inner  creation  takes  place  to  which  outer 
achievement    is    but    an    imperfect    correspondence, 
btudy  and  research,  experiment  and  prayer  are  forms   ' 
of  effort  whereby  man  co-operates  with  God  in  pro- 
ducing  the  new  things  of  the  universe.    Not  the  least 


iK 


-J-  b 


MODES  OF  SPIRITUAL  CULTURE  275 
of  which  is  the  new  life  which  underlies  it  all-4he 
new  w.  1  and  wisdom,  the  heaven-born  grace  and  self- 
surrender,  through  which  the  Supreme  effects  His  de- 
velopmg  purpose. 

Of  immense  spiritual  value  also  has  been  the  uni- 
versal organization  of  capital,  industry,  and  commerce 
of  the  world.    Death-dealing  to  ignorance  and  super- 
stition; l,fe-g,vmg  to  sympathy  and  intelligence;  inter- 
national mtercourse  constitutes  a  world-lifting  factor 
Every  creative  period  in  the  world's  painful  advance 
has  been  preceded  by  an  era  of  criticism  and  explora- 
jon.      Djstmctively    the     past    century    shines    as 
the  world  s  brightest  age  of  investigation.     Scarcely 
seems  it  hke  a  prediction  to  say  that  the  race  is  on  the 
verge  of  unprecedented  moral  and  spiritual  renewal 

In  this  creative  movement  no  factor  displays  its 
potency  more  conspicuously  than  the  literature  of  the 
new  order.  If  books  cf  rdigious  import  written  from 
the  modern  standpoint  correctly  represent  the  time- 
spint  of  the  age.  our  race  is  rapidly  undergoing  trans- 
tormation.  On  every  conceivable  phase  of  life  and 
every  problem  of  theology  serious-minded  men-  ex- 
Perts  m  their  respective  departments  of  knowledge- 
issue  volumes  representing  patient  and  dispassionate 
research.  Their  pronouncements  make  no  claim  to 
nnality;  their  eflForts  approximate  Browning's  concep- 
tion  of  art. 

"  Art-which  I  may  style  the  love  of  loving,  rage 
Of  knowmg,  seeing,  feeling  the  absolute  truth  of  things 

brigs'  ''^''  ''^°''  """^  '°'''  "°'  '"^  ^"^  '"^^ 


MICROCOPY   RESOLUTION   TKT   CHART 

(ANSI  and  ISO  TEST  CHART  No.  2) 


A  APPLIED  IIVMGE     I 

^K  '653   East   Mom   Street 

y.—  RocheE'er.   New  York        14009       USA 

^S  (716)   482  -  0300  -  Phone 

^S  Cti)   288  -  5989  -  ra> 


if 


If 


276    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

The  knower,  seer,  feeler,  beside-instinctive  art 
Must  fumble  for  the  whole,  once  fixing  on  a  part 
However  poor,  surpass  the  fragment  and  aspire     ' 
To  reconstruct  thereby  the  ultimate  entire." 

More  potent  even  than  books  as  a  mode  of  spiritual 
development,  ranks  the  modern  magazine.    Thousands 
of  persons,  restive  under  the  recitation  of  old  creeds 
and  theological  formulae,  turn  to  current  literature  for 
light  and  guidance.    How  great  the  loss  to  the  Church 
due  to  Its  fear  of  advancing  knowledge,  who  can  telP 
How  great  the  worth  to  the  world  of  contributions 
made  by  magazmes,  who  can  know  ?   The  Kingdom  of 
Ood  Cometh  without  observation.     Where  religious 
teachers  dread  the  influence  of  magazines,  as  in  some 
mstances  they  do,  and  shun  works  of  science,  the  cur- 
rent of  human  thought  sweeps  on  beyond  their  vision 
But  who  can  avoid  the  impact  of  weekly  and  daily 
journals!    All  homes  stand  exposed  to  the  bombard- 
ment  of  the  Press;  and,  "  Yellow  Journalism  "  not- 
withstanding, the  beautiful  truth  lives  regnant  in  our 
democratic  age,  that  the  freedom  of  the  Press  is  a 
factor  of  mestimable  worth  in  the  progress  of  men  and 
the  buildmg  of  spiritual  life. 

But  why  further  specify  the  life-making,  character- 
formmg,  spirit-moulding  forces  operative  in  God's 
creative  movement?  Every  atom,  every  law,  every 
potency  of  the  universe  bears  an  ethical  trend,  and 
every  normal  activity  of  humanity  lends  its  quota  to 
race-building.  If  therefore  God  and  the  universe  and 
cvtry  noble  spirit  in  existence  are  verily  co-working 


I  *  M 


MODES  OF  SPIRITUAL  CULTURE      ctyy 

in  a  process  which  has  for  its  issue  the  perfected  son- 
ship  of  God,  why  pause  to  consider  separate  modes 
of  spiritual  culture?  To  restrict  man's  spiritual  wel- 
fare lo  ecclesiastical  and  religious  institutions  and 
teaching,  especially  where  these  are  conceived  as 
priestly  and  exclusive,  would  be  to  misinterpret  the 
universe,  ignore  the  activity  of  God,  and  leave  man- 
kind poor  indeed.  Fallen  are  the  barriers  which  once 
separated  Priest  and  layman;  fading  the  distinctions 
once  so  radically  drawn  between  the  sacred  and  the 
secular.  No  longer  can  the  Church  arrogate  to  her- 
self, as  once  she  did,  exclusive  religious  authority; 
God's  spiritual  activity  transcends  her  circumscribed 
border.  Before  she  was  organized  it  was  in  opera- 
tion. Church  and  Bible  and  all  morality  were  pro- 
duced by  it,  and  represent  but  phases  of  its  expression. 
It  is  as  wide  and  as  high,  as  powerful  and  as  beautiful 
as  the  life  of  God— and  just  as  irresistible.  Man  has 
not  made  it.  He  is  its  product.  Patriarchs,  prophets, 
and  martyrs  are  not  so  much  its  source  as  its  exponents 
and  demonstration. 


mm 


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i-f 


XXII 
THE  PROPAGATION  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

INSEPARABLE  from  the  modes  of  its  culture 

In  the  winning  of  men  and  their  restoration,  ritual- 
Stic  churches  emphasize  the  place  of  sacraments  and 
the  mystic  functions  of  a  priesthood.     Early  Chris- 
tian  worship  however,  derived  not  from  the  Temple 
but  from  the  Synagogue,  was  evangelistic  rather  than 
priestly  and  occupied  superlatively  with  instruction. 
Resemblmg  m  this  respect  the  Apostolic  era.  every 
reformation  period  since,  has  been  distinctly  charac- 
tenzed  by  preaching  and  teaching.     Increasingly  are 
these  methods  being  forced  upon  all  religious  bodies  by 
the  irresistible  pressure  of  awakened  thought 

Once  the  modern  standpoint  is  taken,  new  import 
attaches  to  preaching,  teaching,  and  training  the  young. 
For  ,f  children  at  birth  are  not  really  condemned  by 
God,  nor  totally  depraved,  but  if  He  and  the  universe 
are  toiling  together  to  develop  their  new  life  into  life 
higher  than  the  past  has  known;   then  nnrents  and 
preachers  look  in  the  cradle,  not  upon  what  once  were 
considered    "lost    souls."    but    upon    germinal    life. 
GuiUless.  commences  every  new  life  and  uncondemned 
until  by  Its  own  act  it  falls.    Yet,  sad  certainty,  such 

278 


K  -  ' 


PROPAGATION  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE      279 

is  human  frailty,  that  every  child,  grant  it  but  age 
and  opportunity,  will  bring  condemnation  upon  itself. 
Condemnation,  into  which  it  may  be.  Oh!  so  easily 
led!  Condemnation  from  which  in  its  grosser  ■  jrms 
it  may  be  protected.  "  The  fall,"  as  we  have  shown, 
was  not  an  event  which  took  place  once  for  the  race; 
and  having  personal  meaning  for  only  the  first  indi- 
vidual who  fell,  but  is  a  universal  experience  taking 
place  for  all  and  having  personal  significance  for  each. 
Under  this  conception  sin  becomes  a  more  I  'nous 
thing  than  formerly  represented.  The  condition  f r  >m 
which  man  needs  redemption  being  not  a  state  for 
which  he  is  irresponsible,  but  an  antagonistic  condition 
wherein  he  resists  the  operation  of  God's  Spirit  and 
the  normal  laws  of  life.  From  such  a  condition 
of  spiritual  death  or  wrongness  he  needs  deliv- 
erance; an  experience  regarding  which  several  truths 
require  consideration. 


I.     ALL  REQUIRE  SPIRITUAL  BIRTH 

Whilst  all,  as  we  have  indicated,  require  spiritual 
birth,  all  do  not  "  fall "  equally.  There  is  no  dead 
level  of  iniquity  wherein  all  are  equally  engulfed. 
As  a  matter  of  gratifying  experience,  among  the  better- 
born,  children  may  be  so  brought  up  in  the  nurture  and 
admonition  of  the  Lord  that  they  never  fall  far  into 
sin.  Sin  they  know,  indeed,  and  the  repentance-pangs 
accompanying  restitution;  but  of  its  lower  depths  such 
as  prodigals  and  criminals,  the  slum-born  and  brutal- 
ized experience,  they  know  almost  nothing.    Only  with 


i!ii 


i^^    '■ 


:.8o    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 
the  eye  of  inagination  can  they  behold  its  "  death  " 
or  picture  its  condemnaiion. 

11.     VARIETIES   OF   LXPERIENCE 

Investigatian  conducted  by  explorers  such  as  Presj. 
dent  G.  Stanley  Hall.  Professors  James.  Starbuck.  Coe 
etc,  has  done  a  great  deal  to  extend  the  range  of 
recognized  variety  in  that  spiritual  experience  known 
on  Its  divine  side  as  regeneration,  and  on  its  human 
side  as  conversion.     Of  the  principles  thus  brought 
to  light    the  following  may  serve  to  encourage  the 
spiritually  ambitious  who  by  prayer  and  study  are 
seeking  to  become  eflfective  soul-winners.     Conver- 
sions. It  is  found,  so  far  from  following  a  single  type 
vary  according  to  the  expectation  oi  the  subjects     A 
candidate  for  confirmation  is  not  taught  to  look  for 
nor  does  he  expect  to  pass  through  extrertie  paroxysms 
of  sorrow,  nor  after  conversion  is  he  supposed  to  ex- 
press uncontrollable  tides  of  thanksgiving.    Neverthe- 
less,  his  change  of  heart  may  be  as  complete  and  his  life 
may  blossom  into  piety  as  beautiful  as  that  of  the  most 
emotional  Methodist  or  Salvation  Army  convert.    The 
atter  of  whom,  by  all  the  canons  of  Evangelism,  and 
the  custom  of  ''experience  meetings"  are  led  to  an- 
ticipate  emotional  discharge. 

.ic^'^^"*'^"'"""'  '"  ^°"^««3tion-experience  m..y 
also  be  due  to  variety  of  circumstance.  The  subject 
of  spiritual  regeneration  who  fights  his  battle  alone 
may  know  the  profoundest  penitence  and  enter  into 
the  sublimest  joy.  without  giving  his  feelings  loud 
expression,  which  conceivably  under  other  circum- 


il^ 


II 


PROPAGATICN  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE      281 

stances  might  be  a  natural  mode  of  conduct.  Had 
he  been  arrested  in  the  heat  of  a  revival,  taking  his 
decisive  step  in  an  atmosphere  of  torrential  emotion, 
he  would  probably  have  lent  himself  to  its  sway  and 
have  enjoyed  a  far  more  memorable  or  rather  dra- 
matic conversion  than  that  wrought  out  in  secret  be- 
tvveen  himself  and  God.  Again,  the  lonely  experience 
would  normally  be  more  prolonged  and  filled  greatly 
more  by  thought,  study,  and  meditative  prayer. 

Vast  is  the  range  of  variation  resulting  from 
differences  of  temperament.  One  man,  predominantly 
intellectual,  attains  by  study  an  experience  rich  in 
psychological  insight  but  poor  in  emotional  quality. 
For  him  religion  is  a  matter  of  conscience:  and 
conduct  rather  than  the  enjoyment  of  feeling.  To 
a  temperament  emotionally  sensitive,  especially  if  it 
belongs  to  the  explosive  type,  conversion  is  usually 
marked  by  demonstration  and  perfervid  feeling.  De- 
scription seems  unnecessary,  for  everybody  knows  the 
type  and  something  of  the  range  of  possible  variation. 

Other  differences  in  conversation-experience  re- 
sult from  the  fact  that  different  persons  approach  it 
in  widely  different  spiritual  conditions.  One  child, 
for  example,  is  pure  of  mind  and  heart,  steadied  by 
much  religious  culture  and  supported  by  the  forces 
of  a  noble  lineage.  Another  has  hereditary  taint, 
wild  lusts,  and  from  the  earliest  hours  evil  associa- 
tions and  criminal  training.  The  effect  of  such  differ- 
ences will  more  fully  appear  when  we  deal  with  con- 
veijion  itself;  but  in  order  to  see  the  experience  which 
is  better  known  as  regeneration,  it  must  be  regarded 


i  i 


^ 


i- 


i'' 


if  Ml 


it 
I 


282    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

as  veritably  a  birth,  and  viewed  in  its  relation  to  the 
irany  other  births  of  which  man  is  capable. 

HI.     GKADUAL  BIRTH   OF   THE   FINITE   BEING 

At  birth  man  is  so  far  from  being  fully  born  that 
his  entire  psychic,  moral,  aesthetic,  and  spiritual  births 
have  still  to  take  place.    After  his  Mrth  to  animal  ex- 
istence  he  has  still  to  become  a  child  of  higher  realms 
of  which  he  IS  capable  of  becoming  a  denizen.    Every 
human  being  has  a  mother  other  than  his  maternal 
parent;  he  has  an  all-parent  whose  life  feeds  his  cease- 
lessly    Child  of  the  universe,  whose  forces  foster  his 
growth;  he  is  child  also  of  the  Universal  Father  who 
has  laboured  long  to  bring  His  elder  children  to  the 
point  of  conscious  companionship,  and  spiritual  power 
Man  undergoes  many  births;  but  one  is  highest." 
However  innocent  he  may  be  he  nevertheless  needs  to 
be  spintually  born.     "Except  a  man  be  born  of  the 
ispint.    he  can  neither  "see"  nor  "enter  into"  the 
spiritual  Kingdom.    Likewise,  except  a  man  be  born 
mentally  he  cannot  enter  the  realm  of  intellectual  truth 
Except  a  man  be  born  with  musical  dower-  artistic 
ta«=te;  or  inventive  genius;  he  cannot  enter  into  these 
diverse  kingdoms.    All  this,  it  may  be  said,  is  plain 
enough.    But  what  awaits  general  recognition,  is  that 
the  range  is  wider  far.    If  we  stand  at  the  portal  of 
any  particular  life,  and  look  backward,  we  shall  see 
that  it  commenced  so  long  before  this  its  so-called 
beginning,  that  measured  by  the  number  of  stages 
through  which  it  has  already  passed,  its  birth  repre- 
sents  a  comparatively  late  stage  in  its  career.    Accord- 


:M|| 


PROPAGATION  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE      283 

ing  to  biology  the  human  foetus  recapitulates  in  rapid 
epitome  the  entire  course  of  evolution.  From  mono- 
cell  through  fish,  bird,  wolf,  and  simian  stages  it 
passes  to  the  human. 

Nor  are  we  looking,  as  once  evolutionists  did,  into 
a  microscopic  cell  for  all  that  is  potential  in  the  race. 
We  behold  God,  and  conceive  omnipresent  life,  taking 
possession  of  each  individual  as  he  becomes  capable  of 
partaking  thereof;  i.e.,  a  higher  life  is  believed  to 
work  on,  and  in,  and  through,  the  life  already  begun, 
preparing  for  and  imposing  upon  it  higher  and  higher 
births  as  it  progresses.  This  more  nearly  represents 
modern  bionomics  than  the  mere  unfolding  which  was 
at  one  time  conceived  as  evolution.  It  serves  not  only 
to  explain  the  phenomena  of  spiritual  life,  but  it  meets 
the  demand  of  latest  science.  Exploration  has  carried 
the  idea  of  progressive  birth  into  the  entire  develop- 
ment of  life — even  into  its  trans-terrestrial  stages; 
the  entrance  upon  every  higher  realm  cf  life  being  by 
a  process  which,  whether  we  call  it  "  birth  "  or  not, 
is  anplogical  thereto;  the  veritable  commencement  of 
a  new  grade  of  being. 


IV.     ADOLESCENCE 

Life's  most  dramatic  period  of  later  birth,  and 
higher  creation,  is  known  as  adolescence.  To  the  mul- 
tiplex transformations  undergone  during  the  years 
from  ten  to  fifteen  or  twenty-five  no  passing  phrases 
can  do  justice.  All  soul-winners  and  teachers  may 
to  advantage  study  the  rapidly  growing  literature  of 
this  formative  period  of  higher  life. 


284    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

Everybody  knows  that  at  pubescence  the  physical 
hfc  of  both  sexes  undergoes  swift  transformation 
On  y  recein  --xploration  has  served  to  show  the  nature 
and  the  measure  of  the  higher  changes  h  -  accom- 
pany and  follow  sexual  awakening.  A  multifold 
world  of  psychic  and  emotional  life  comes  into  tu- 
multuous  existence.  Powers  and  faculties  essentially 
non-existent  before,  arc  born.  Older  impulses  and 
instmcts  are  reinforced  and  developed,  while  others  are 
subordmated  so  that  the  ego  finds  a  new  centre  on 
a  higher  level. 

In  truth,  adolescence  is  the  infancy  of  man's  higher 
nature;  a  prolonged  and  complex  birth  whereby  he 
receives  from  the  all-mother  a  new  nature.    Suddenly 
and  w,th  exhilaration  he  finds  himself  a  changed 
bemg  m  a  transformed  universe.    His  character,  tem- 
perament, emotions,  and  appetites  are  all  changed.    He 
dreams    high    dreams.     Beholds    wonderful    visions. 
SuflFers  odd  melancholies  and  curious  reveries.     As 
from  hidden  volcanoes  up-spring  strange  floods  of 
teel.ng.    Hopes  and  fears  and  loves  and  longings,  the 
brightest  wisdom  and  the  siUie.    .veakne^^s  cor  r,i„gle 
m  distracting  confusion. 

Recapitulating  ethnic  evolution,  something  as  the 
foetus  recapitulates  organic  evolution,  ..nm  ,  fe,v 
stormy  years  youth  passes  through  phases  c  ^n.i- 
mg  to  the  turbulent  life  of  the  savage  and  I 
eras.  Torrential  passions  of  the  animal  typ,  .ne 
so  suddenly  into  activity  a.  to  constitute  crucu  Ian! 
ger.  Along  with  the  most  splendid  ambition^  re 
often  experienced  distressful  misgivings  and  my.    ^. 


it    ^: 


"■^Jl»3.1 


PROPAGATION  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE      285 


ous  traits  of  cruelty  or  deceit.  The  youth  not  under- 
standing himself  may  suffer  unutterable  things.  At 
times  his  new  experience  will  carry  him  into  Para- 
disiacal ecstasies.  At  times,  sin  smitten,  he  may  touch 
the  lowest  limits  of  distress  in  the  fear  tiiat  he  has 
committed  unpardonable  sin. 

Adolescence,  the  period  of  life's  greatest  promise, 
is  often  the  era  of  its  gravest  peril.  Mistakes  are 
never  so  tragic;  losses  never  so  great;  defence  never 
more  needful.  As  President  Hall  writes,  "  The  mo- 
mentum of  heredity  often  seems  insufficient  to  enable 
the  child  to  achieve  this  great  evolution  and  come  to 
complete  maturity,  so  that  every  step  of  the  upward 
way  is  strewn  with  the  wreckage  of  body,  mind,  and 
morals.  There  is  not  only  arrest  but  perversion  at 
every  stage,  and  hoodlumism,  juvenile  crime  and  se- 
cret vice  seem  not  only  incre;*sing,  but  develop  in 
earlier  years  in  every  civilized  land." 

Nevertheless  here  emerges  the  most  characteristic 
trait  of  pubescence,  and  for  the  preacher  its  most  sig- 
nificant power.  Along  with  shyness,  awkwardness, 
and  sensitiveness,  characteristic  of  the  adolescent; 
along  with  his  intellectual  awakening  and  his  birth 
into  a  tempestuous  world  of  indescribable  feeling;  he 
enters  upon  a  spiritual  experience  of  vital  import.  It 
seems  much  as  if  every  turn  in  the  tide  of  his  feelings, 
every  nev  idea,  every  hope  and  aspiration,  were  re- 
flected i  conscience,  which  becomes  at  this  period 
pretematurally  active  and  sensitive.  Memory  will 
serve  most  of  us  to  interpret  this  truth.  Introspection, 
self-condemnation,  and  penitential  grief,  alternate  with 


!«' 


»   ' 


w 


f  if  "f'f  I 


:j^iiffij! 


II 


286    THE  SCIEN'CE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 
will  Jness  and  wiKlness,  with  resistance  of  the  sol 
and  efforts  to  drown  the  still  small  voice 

Pre-eminently  is  adolescence  a  period  of  spirits 

^carnes  hfe  mto  unexplored  regions.  A  child  m 
^unable  to  remember  the  day  when  he  did  not  lo 
God    yet  at  nuherty  he  finds  himself  swept  as  by 

as  th.v  K^^  'P'"'""'  experiences  as  mysterio 

as  they  ;  .  bulent;  while  others  who  had  no  re 
g.ous  trau.ug  find  themselves  in  a  vortex  of  conflicti. 

"Trel!^    ."uV^'  '°"^''  ^"'^  '^  °^^«"  "^°«t  tragi 
President  Hall  writes,  "  Youth  takes  to  rHigIc 
at  this  age  as  its  natural  element.     True  conversic 
IS  as  natural  as  the  blossoming  of  a  flower.    The 

and  thaf  f  "^'f^'r'^  ''  ^'^^  '^^  -rner-stoneTs  o 
and   hat  .t  meets  the  needs  of  this  most  critical  perio 

oflfeasnothmgdsedoes.   .    .    .   He  is  a  poor  ps^ 
cholog,st  of  religion  and  a  worse  Christian  teach 

thev  mat     c:  '  "'  ^'''''  '^'  ^^""fi^  *°  ^o  on  as  bes 

i.  n.T  ' ,  .        ?.  ^.  ^'''  ^'y'^''  P°^^^  which  shoul( 
be  utilized  for  religion."  * 

Professor  Starbuck  affirms  that  "Conversion  is  ir 
ts  essence  a  normal  adolescent  phenomenon,  incidenta 
to  the  passage  from  the  child's  small  universe  to  the 
wider  intellectual  and  spiritual  life  of  maturity  " 

V.   CONVERSION 

types-the  once  bom,  and  the  twice  born.    Professor 
•  "Adolescence,"  Vol.  I,  p.  464.     , 


PROPAGATION  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE      287 

..taiLiK-k  t'Ms  the  former  out  of  the  "conversion 
group"  together.  Uiil>  h,  wh..  ha.,  undergone 
sudden  change  of  life  are  by  huu  icgardcd  a..  n 
verted.  With  President  Hall  and  other  investigators 
he  considers  gradual  development  in  spiritual  life  the 
normal  mode,  and  looks  upon  conversions  which  are 
accompanied  by  extravagant  outbursts  of  feeling  as 
something  that  should  be  exceptional. 

Whether  humanity  will  ever  attain  to  a  type  of  ex- 
perience narrow  enough  to  approximate  such  an  ideal 
it  is   difficult  to  say.     Wer^-  all  difference  of  training 
done  away  with,  there  must  remain  forever  differences 
of  temperament  and  of  individual  circumstance.    As 
the  lace  becomes  more  intellectualizeJ  the  explosive 
type  of  conversion  may  yield  to  forms  mere  subdued. 
With  the  attainment  of  culture,  the  expression  will  be 
less  loud,  if  not  less  dramatic.    Albeit,  a  criminal  en- 
termg  into  light;  a  prodigal  home  returning;  or  a  per- 
secutmg  Saul  stopped  on  his  Damascus  road;  will  al- 
ways undergo  a  transformation  so  inexpressibly  great 
that  his  conversion  can  only  be  of  the  type  which 
ought,  as  humanity  progresses,  to  become  exceptional. 
God  be  praised  for  a  salvation  that  can  save  from  the 
uttermost  to  the  uttermost!    God  be  praised  also  that 
children  can  and  ought  to  be  brought  up  in  the  nurture 
and  admonition  of  the  Lord.    This  ideal,  high  as  we 
niay  deem  it,  is  b)  no  means  modem.    Ancient  He- 
brews, Greeks,  and  Romans  recognized  both  the  status 
of  childhood,  and  the  advent  of  manhood.    By  an  im- 
pressive ceremony  for  which  prolonged  preparation 
was  made,  every  youth  passed  from  childhood  to  man- 


288    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 
hood.    Prior  to  the  great  event  his  parents  were  hel. 
responsible  for  his  n^isdeeds.    Afterward!  hrhls 
was  reco^,.ed  as  responsible  for  his  own  moral  con 

ni"  \.  ?'?''"V"^"'''  ^"'^  ^y  ^^ff^'-e"*  Peoples  em. 
Ployed  to  denommate  this  ceremony.    Accol^ing  to  the 

Hebrew  term  a  child  by  this  initiation  became  "a  so 

wth  th         ;    '-•'.--"  of  the  law.    All  are  familiar 

with  the  custom,  m  at  least  one  concrete  case.     At 

twelve  years  of  age  Jesus  went  up  to  the  TempL  like 

any  other  Hebrew  youth,  stood  His  examination  a„d 

entered  upon  H,s  manhood.     In  His  particular  case 

He  surprised  the  doctors  of  the  law  who'condu  t  d  the 

eremony.    It  helps  us  to  see  how  He  became  ''  lost  ' 

from  His  parents,  for  the  very  rite  whereby  He  en- 

tered  upon  His  manhood  laid  upon  Him  from  that 

moment  responsibility  for  Himself  and  His  conduct 

Ihe  Romans,  by  a  similar  custom,  at  a  corresoond 
jng  age.  admitted  their  youth  to  the  stat^of 'mat 

and  Its  accompanying  responsibilities  being  signalized 
by  the  adoption  of  the  "toga."  the  change  fn  dress 
notifymg  the  world,  and  impressing  the  youth    w  th 

n  th^'^tn  °'  *'^  ^^^"^-  ^'  -^'^  ConfirmaTion 
m  the  Grek.  Roman,  and  English  churches,  due  rec 
ognition  of  the  quality  of  life,  as  well  as  intelligent 
preparation  for  ^s  grave  responsibilities  ct r^teS 

^ership.    In  the  former  ,t  carried  with  it  also  the  idea 

act^'onffrr    ^"V"  '°^'  "^^^  '^  -kes.defim-  ; 
fact  of  diflFerence  between  childhood  and  manhood 
and  lays  upon  youth  as  a  conscious  burden  the  re- 


tl^: 


PROPAGATION  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE      289 

sponsibilities  of  self-government.  Sin  becomes  a  defi- 
nite thmg  at  the  age  of  accountability,  incurring  per- 
sonal responsibility.  Before  this  neither  the  sin  nor 
the  responsibility  was  deemed  personal.  Both  rested 
upon  the  parents,  sponsors,  or  guardians,  who  were 
held  responsible  for  their  wards. 

So  long  as  slums  endure  or  criminals  have  offspring 
so  long  as  youthful  offenders  plunge  headlong  into 
iniquity  or  human  beings  of  any  age  persist  in  sin  to 
Its  deeper  degrees,  so  long  will  sudden  conversions  of 
the  dramatic  type  be  possible;  and  in  their  success 
must  we  continue  to  rejoice;  nevertheless  enormous 
advantages  accrue  to  the  life  which  enjoys  the  gradual 
development  resulting  from  careful  nurture  and  train- 
ing. For  such,  life's  meaning  and  laws  become  more 
intelligible.  Where  a  person  of  untrained  mind,  crim- 
inal by  birth  or  by  some  terrible  fall,  undergoes  sudden 
transformation,  neither  life  nor  the  universe  is  seen 
normally.  His  experience  is  one  of  feeling  rather  than 
of  insight.  To  quote  Professor  Starbuck.  "The  process 
of  intellectual  assimilation  is  less  among  persons  who 
have  passed  through  the  conversion  experience.  In 
accordance  with  their  constitutional  and  temperamental 
differences  they  to  a  great  extent  feel  their  way."* 

Continuing  the  contrast  between  the  conversion 
group  and  the  gradual  development  group.  Dr.  Star- 
buck  says.  "  Religion  as  centering  in  scientific  and 
philosophical  conceptions,  religion  as  a  process  of 
growth,  and  religion  as  concerned  with  conduct,"  are 
three  types  of  feeling  "conspicuously  absent  from 
•  "The  Psychology  of  Religion,"  p.  369. 


I 


Ilfflf  i 


290  THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 
the  conversion  group."  "  The  prominence  of  thes 
Items  among  the  non-conversion  group  indicates  tha 
they  are  trying  to  reduce  their  world  to  a  system  an 
to  solve  their  relation  to  it."  .  .  .  "  Jn  short',  th 
conversion  group  approach  their  religion  from  th 
subjective,  emotional  standpoint,  but  at  a  sacrifice  0 
an  intellectual  comprehension  of  it,  and  of  a  raHona 
appreciation  of  the  relationship  they  sustain  to  th 
world.    * 

Christianity,   if   not   standing  alone,   yet   is   pre 
emment  m  teaching  that  all  children  are  born  con 
demned  to  endless  torment  for  another's  sin.     Stil 
the  belief  that  children.  ,mtil  converted  belong,  not  tc 
the  All-Father  but  to  Satan,  is  passing  from  Christiar 
sentiment.     Accepting   therefore   the   standpoint   oi 
Jesus,    we   recognize   the   child    as   God's   at   birth 
Immature  and  ignoram.  imperfect  and  exposed  to 
multifold  dangers  though  it  be,  it  has  not  sinned  and 
It  is  not  lost.    Guiltless,  until  of  its  own  motion  it 
sins,  no  child  need,  nor  ought,  ever  to  fall  far  into 
miquity     Therefore  in  a  sense  not  of  old  acknowl- 
edged by  Christian  teaching  children  may  be  pro- 
tected.    God  gives  into  our  parental  care,  not  fallen 
spirits,  but  spirits  that  can  fall;  and  who  for  that 
very  reason  ought  to  be  guarded  from  falling     Being 
free  spirits,  exposed  to  untold  temptations  their  de- 
fence against  sin  cannot  be  made  absolute,  yet  for  their 
sake,  and  ours,  ought  to  be  made  as  perfect  as  possi- 
ble;  for  regarding  moral  and  spiritual,  as  regarding 
physical  disease  "  protection  is  better  than  cure." 
•"  The  Psychology  of  Religion,"  p.  470. 


VW      ^ 


XXIII 
CHRISTIANITY  A  PATHOLOGY 

AS  already  indicated  the  background  of  Creedal 
^  Christianity  contrasts  strongly  with  the  thought- 
foundation  of  other  faiths — including  in  sev- 
eral respects  even  that  of  Jesus. 

(i)  The  thought-basis  upon  which  the  Hebrews 
reared  their  faith  was  the  conception  that  God  is 
Sovereign,  "  ruling  all  things  after  the  council  of  His 
own  will " ;  the  Universal  Presence  from  whom  there 
is  no  escape  (Psalm  139).  He  is  Judge,  great  and 
terrible,  nevertheless  Righteous  and  the  Source  of 
righteousness.  "  Will  not  the  Judge  of  all  the  earth 
do  right?"  Sin,  by  startling  contrast,  stands  con- 
spicuously prominent,  redemption  alone  being  more 
prominent — "  For  His  mercy  endureth  forever."  The 
Adversary  is  present,  but  not  as  ultimately  victorious. 
"  The  earth  is  the  Lord's  and  the  fulness  thereof;  the 
world  and  they  that  dwell  therein."  To  the  end  God 
remains  Supreme  "  the  dwelling  place  "  of  His  people 
to  all  generations. 

(2)  To  Hellenic  thought  life  presented  itself  as  a 
problem  of  advancement.  The  Greek  conceived  the 
world,  not  as  a  ruin,  but  as  a  field  for  exploration. 
In  attempting  the  mastery  of  cosmic  truth,  he  was  sus- 
tained by  faith  in  the  rationality  of  the  universe  and 

291 


i- 


^„ti--.' 


M 


f   .        i' 


3     1  ; 


II 


I 


292    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

inspired  by  the  sense  of  its  beauty.  His  endeavour 
the  one  direction  gave  to  the  world  philosophy  a 
science,  in  the  other  art  and  aesthetic  ideals.  Sin  a 
evil  constituted  perplexing  problems,  but  held  not  t 
imagination  as  did  the  constructive  task  of  developi: 
recognized  good. 

(3)  The  basal  conceptions  of  Jesus  may  be  inferri 
from  i  dtements  cardinal  in  His  teaching.  To  w 
that  "  God  is  Spirit."  He  is  "  Our  Father  which  a 
in  t-  vt.i";  His  supreme  attribute,  and  our  crownii 
virtue,  Love.  Jesus  Himself,  personating  self-saci 
fice,  came  that  we  might  have  life,  and  that  we  mig 
have  it  more  abundantly.  His  theology  was  biologica 
not  merely  pathological.  Sharing  Greek  views  of  tl 
wholesomeness  of  the  universe,  the  world  was  to  Hir 
not  evil,  but  beautiful,  the  doctrine  of  total  depravil 
receiving  nc  trace  of  support  from  His  message.  F< 
the  norm  of  His  Kingdom  He  chose  a  little  chih 
undeveloped  but  docile;  spiritually  born,  but  possesi 
ing  llie  capacity  for  development.  Jesus  and  tl 
Greeks  held  common  ground  in  assuming  that  chile 
hood  and  nature  possess  normal  elements. 

(4)  According  to  its  Creedal  formulations,  th 
Christian  struggle  presented  a  vastly  different  bad 
ground  from  those  above  cited.  Its  thought  was  nc 
fixed  upon  ne^-  realms  of  knowledge  to  be  opened,  bi 
upon  a  race-  j  disaster  requiring  cure.  It  sought 
not  the  deveic^^ment  of  life,  but  the  rescue  of  soul 
from  the  thrall  of  evil.  Its  thought-ground  was  not ; 
sound  universe  to  be  explored,  but  a  lost  world  to  b 
saved.    With  Jesus,  it  saw  the  need  for  redemption,  bu 


U 


CHRISTIANITY  A  PATHOLOGY       293 

failed  to  see  what  makes  the  thought  of  Jesus  one  with 
that  of  the  Hebrew,  the  Greek,  and  modem  Science; 
namely,  the  truth  that  Life  is  before  all  death;  beneath 
all  disease;  and  constitutes  the  only  hope  for  the  thera- 
peutic provided  for  its  restoration. 

Christianity,  according  to  its  doctrinal  standards,  is 
therefore  purely  a  pathology.  It  seei  the  normal 
neither  in  nature  nor  in  man;  it  recognizes  only  morbid 
conditions;  racial  sickness;  all-embracing  death.  It 
knows  nothing  of  race  evolution.  Professing  itself  to 
be  expressly  God's  provirion  for  overcoming  universal 
death,  there  is  for  it  logically  nothing  to  protect;  all 
are  lost;  lost  centuries  ago,  even  the  unborn.  Lives 
may  indeed  be  saved;, a  goodly  number,  it  is  hoped;  but 
that  is  the  utmost  possible  to  the  Great  Physician; 
for  before  His  coming  all  health  was  lost.  His  art 
at  best  is  but  an  "  Healing  art."  There  is  nothing 
else  in  the  case  for  God,  or  the  Church,  or  the  universe 
to  do. 

Thought  of  this  type  takes  no  cognizance  of  race- 
development  or  ascent.  It  perceives  the  need  of  re- 
demption, but  discerns  not  God's  primary  and  pro- 
gre''>sive  work  in  the  universe.  From  this  standpoint 
the  whole  value  of  Christianity  is  to  be  seen  in  its 
success  as  a  salvage  expedient.  It  co-operates  with 
God  in  His  rescue  work;  but  does  not  appreciate  His 
creative  and  positive  working. 

Similarly  medical  science  was  at  one  time  purely 
a  therapeutic.  Devoting  itself  exclusively  to  the  cure 
of  indi/idual  cases  of  sickness,  preventive  medicine 
was  not  so  much  as  thought  of.    No  consideration  was 


it*^ 


f!j?;u 


\i 


'? 


•  lilt' 


294    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

given  to  problems  of  regimen  and  hygiene.    Nor  w 

that  so  long  ago  either.     But  to  its  former  glory- 

the  cure  of  the  sick— it  has  added  another  and  high 

glory;  the  preventior.  which  is  better  than  cure     Ai 

the  latter  bulks  ever  more  largely  in  personal,  as  w. 

as  m  civic  and  national  attention.    Science,  sensible  ( 

Its  duty  in  preventing  fevers,  plagues,  and  pestilenc 

devotes  itself  to  cherishing  health  and  healthful  cond 

tions.    Miasmatic  swamps  are  drained;  cities,  town 

and  houses  rendered  sanitary.    Water,  milk,  and  di, 

protected    fro-i    impurities.     Antiseptics    and    ant 

toxmes  have  been  discovered.     Isolation  is  practise 

for  the  sick;  and  ventilation,  exercise,  and  cheerfu 

ness  prescribed  for  all.     Medical  science  recogni- 

that  It  has  something  to  work  on  and  to  protect-  w'  « 

according  to  the  tenor  of  the  Creeds,  humanity  a 

a  race  must  languish  in  a  world-hosp.Val  throughou 

Its  earthly  career,  the  majority  of  the  cases  passin, 

ultimately  from  the  hospital  to  woe  unending. 

If  to  Christian  ears  to-day  statements  of  this  natun 
sound  extreme,  it  can  be  s.  only  because  the  trenc 
of  modern  thought  is  different  from  the  type  of  teach- 
ing once  commonly  accepted.    The  dignity  of  humar 
nature  and  its  better  qualities  are  now  so  frequently 
assumed;  the  idea  of  total  depravity  so  frequently  for- 
gotten;  that  we  insensibly  transcend  our  professed 
doctrines.      Nevertheless.    Christianity,    wheresoever 
true  to  its  formulated  creeds,  beholds  a  race  wholly 
lost;  and  makes  no  claim  to  be  anything  but  a  re- 
clamation scheme.     As  such,  moreover,  it  professes 
to  be  but  imperfectly  successful. 


CHRISTIANITY  A  PATHOLOGY  295 
In  order  to  bring  theology  into  line  with  the  dom- 
inant thought  of  the  day,  we  must  recognize  the  ascent 
of  the  race,  and  God's  progressive  activity.  To  do 
this  will  be  to  take  a  new  attitude  towards  the  Father, 
and  a  new  view  of  His  universe;  necessitating  the 
reconstruction  of  traditional  theological  thought. 

That  the  universe,  humanity  included,  is  still  in  the 
making,  comes  as  a  reassuring  and  inspiring  truth, 
which  the  stars  and  the  ages  are  proving.  He  that 
runneth  may  read.  He  that  meditates  thereon  must 
acknowledge.  Yet  of  this  basal  truth  the  older  creeds 
knew  nothing.  When  they  were  formulated,  the  4dea 
had  not  so  much  as  dawned.  Nor  could  it  emerge 
until  exploration  should  interpret  the  working  forces 
of  the  Eternal. 

Compared  with  the  idea  of  a  swift  creation,  sud- 
denly ruined;  science  perceives  process  everywhere, 
and  comprehensive  progress.    The  same  forces  which 
for  millions  of  years  have  worked  together  to  produce 
present  conditions  are  still  seen  in  operation  working 
the  will  of  God,  and  effecting  a  purpose  worthy  both  of 
the  universe  and  of  its  Creator.    Science  describes  evo- 
lution as  "  God's  method  of  creation,"  and  conceives 
that  the  present  stage  of  humanity  represents  ad- 
vanced physical,  immature  intellectual,  and  but  rudi- 
mentary moral  and  spiritual  development.     It  sees 
God  and  the  church  and  good  spirits  everywhere,  en- 
gaged with  those  difficult  stages  of  evolution  involved 
in  the  development  of  mind  and  conscience;  love  and 
faith;  self-sacrificial  power  and  the  beauty  of  God- 
like personality.    Orthodox  religion  beholds  sin;  but 


^m»^^' 


ilh  J 

^      --<  1 . 1 


11?" 


296   THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 
recognizes  not  the  elemental  life  upon  which  sin's  ef. 
fects  are,  or  may  be.  temporary  and  not  without  value. 
Science  recognizes  sin,  and  restoration  therefrom- 
but  views  both  as  pha.es  of  a  wider  movement,    li 
regards  healing,  cure,  and  redemption  of  all  kinds,  as 
mcidental  to  the  major  work  and  purpose  of  God.    It 
represents  God  as  producing  new  and  higher  life,  and 
believes  that  all  the  forces  of  the  universe  are  at  once 
instruments  of  His  will  and  modes  of  His  revelation. 
But  if  so,  creative  progress  is  God's  primary  work- 
and  He  should  no  longer  be  regarded  especially  as  a 
Saviour,  nor  conceived  as  interested  merely  in  reli- 
gion.   To  make  religion  exclusively  ecclesiastical,  or 
to  regard  only  certain  acts  as  religious,  is  to  exclude 
the  greater  part  of  the  universe  from  religion.    To 
centre  attention  upon  God's  redemptive  work  is  to 
misconceive  His  primary  activity,  and  to  hold  an  im- 
perfect attitude  toward  Him     In  a  sense  in  which  the 
Hebrew  never  did  this.  Christian  teaching  is  doing 
It;  inasmuch  as  superlative  (almost  exclusive)  em- 
phasis IS  given  to  His  work  of  grace  as  seen  in  man's 
redemption. 

Remarkable  as  it  may  appear  when  we  come  to 
reflect  upon  it.  little  is  said  about  the  reason  for  our 
being  m  the  world.  No  adequate  purpose  is  assigned 
for  creating  man  at  all;  especially  for  his  being 
brought  through  so  grave  a  discipline  as  that  involved 
m  temporal  existence.  Attention  is  not  fixed  upon 
a  thought-field  sufficiently  comprehensive  to  lift  the 
whole  cosmos  into  perspective.  The  race  and  the  uni- 
verse were  created,  according  to  assumption,  for  noth- 


.   I? 


CHRISTIANITY  A  PATHOLOGY       297 

ing  in  particular  except  for  God's  glory,  which  was 
immediately  clouded,  and  must  remain  forever  sullied 
by  His  own  enduring  fury,  and  the  anguish  of  the  lost. 
His  concern,  since  the  disaster,  is  said  to  be  confined 
to  plucking  brands  from  the  burning;  and  it  is  this 
particular  service  that  absorbs  the  heart  and  thought 
of  worshippers. 

Not  less  should  we  appreciate  the  Cross  and  its 
power,  but  attention  should  also  carry  to  God's  crea- 
tive power,  working  constructively  in  every  human 
life;  a  work  which  manifests  His  primary  potency, 
wHd  without  which  restoration  ro-ild  not  be  effective! 
Jesus  was  more  to  the  wor!         ri  a  Saviour  from 
sin;  yet  because  He  gave  Himscix  supremely  to  that 
mission.  He  was  regarded,  and  He  regarded  Himself, 
chiefly  as  the  world's  Redeemer.     Science  was  con- 
ceived centuries  before  His  coming,  and  when  devel- 
oped would  become  an  enormous  power  in  civilization, 
yet  He  mentioned  it  not.     Philosophy  originated  in 
the  same  intellectual  movement  and  was  destined  to 
operate  as  a  prime  factor  in  race-advancement,  still  it 
received  from  Him  no  endorsement.    Problems  eco- 
nomic,  industrial,  and  political.  He  eschewed.     So 
completely  did  He  confine  Himself  to  the  work  of 
moral  and  spiritual  restoration  that  His  mission  is 
seen  as  exclusively  redemptive. 

Was  not  His  name  called  Jeaus  "  because  He  should 
save  His  people  from  their  sins  "?  t\\^  He  no  come 
"  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  wa  "  ?  Did  not 
His  Gethsemane,  His  Calvary,  His  . ..  rection,  and 
His  great  commission  attest  that  Jesus  came  expresslv 


W' 


^n  > 


I 


■il 


»98   THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 
fully  .0  know;  .0  pJU:^«^  """*  •""'  "■<" 

«..«.  .mportant  factors  in  ,he  making  „r  cTea&r 
of  man.     If  our  religion  is  ,o  b.  true  ^  g^'"'° 
to  represent  a  complete  appreciation  of  ffis  P^„" 
».  must  make  our  spiri„„|  „„tiooU  and  rlspo^as 

xvnowing  Him  as  we  do  know  Him  in  Christ  i 
-e  should  also  recognize  His  all^I^ng'"^^^^^^^ 
working  in  the  progressive  universe.      ^  ^        '"^ 

the  sLr"""^  ,'"''"^'  '"^"^^^^  ^y  h*»>'t"ally  giving 
the  supreme  place  in  religion  to  salvation  tends  to 

rr "  Mo^ '°?  ^"'  ^°"^^P  ^^-«^  "Pon  theV: 
aeemer.     More  or  less  consciously,  or  oerhanQ  m«, 

fo  e  the  Father  in  the  affection  of  believL     Kd  H^ 

sms  m  His  own  body  on  the  tree?    Is  it  not  natural 
herefor.  that  thought  and  love  and  devotion  lo„W 
focus  upon  Him  „.her  than  upon  the  Father  ? 

We  are  aware  that  we  owe  the  Son  and  all  .1,,. 
came  through  Him  to  God,  who  soTo«d1«''t„ti 
as  to  g,ve  Him;  yet  do  we  no.  incline  to  ^JX 


1'li! 


CHRISTIANITY  A  PATHOLOGY       299 

nai  e  of  jesus  above  every  name— even  above  that  of 
the  Father?  This  habit  of  speech,  when  we  come  to 
refle  t  upon  it,  would  seem  to  contravene  the  spirit 
of  H.m  who  said,  "  I  came  not  to  do  mine  own  will, 
but  the  will  of  Him  that  sent  me."  The  custom  of 
ordinary  religious  language  preserves  not  this  propor- 
tion, f(  r  Jesus'  spirit  of  Sonship  is  forgotten;  and 
sc  is  tl     primacy  of  the  Father. 

P08S1.      too,  the  exclusive  use  of  the  word  Chris- 
tia.    as  fi  scriptiv    of  our  religion,  may  foster  this 
dist  ropon    n  ii.  our  thinking.     Since  Jesus  came  to 
rede*  m  thi     )st  and  is  veritably  the  world's  Saviour, 
His   nan      stands   for  Saviourhood;  and  multitudes 
<  weii  so  esp,     ,lly  on  this'blessed  service,  that  worship 
^-it'raKies  r,  und  the  saving  rather  than  round  the 
*  ^civc   Work  uf  God.     Yet  every  activity  of  the 
rna     m  every  province  of  truth,  tells  on  the  life 
r  are  living,  and  ought  to  receive  recognition  in  our 
di  q/  i      Much  of  our  truest  thinking  and  sublimest 
up  are  done  in  terms  of  science,  of  philosophy, 
nu  of      actical  insight  into  truth.     They  are  win- 
ough  which  light  and  higher  life  flow  into 
rience.    If  our  religious  sense  or  appreciation 
iS  to  be  as  wide  as  His  activities  must  it  not 
■•^respond  to  the  complete  range  of  His  glorious  un- 
olding  ?    To  express  the  entire  relation  of  our  thought 
toward  C,d,  a  term  wider  in  its  connotation  than  the 
word  Ch.  ^tian  might  be  helpful.    In  this,  as  in  other 
iields,  science  may  aid  humanity's  thinking  by  en- 
larging its  vocabulary.    Never  yet  have  religions  been 
named  with  the  precision  which  science,  for  the  sake 


I 


300   THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

of  accuracy,  is  compelled  to  adopt.    Yet  is  not  accura 

as  valuable  in  one  science  as  in  another?    The  disciol 

were  first  called  Christians  at  Antioch.  but  that  w! 

done  m  derisio.  much  as  Quakers  and  Shakers  ar 

Methodists  were  named  by  their  critics.    This  was  i 

the  day  of  their  persecution  and  it  is  possible  that  th 

name  was  used  to  single  out  those  who  should  b 

hunted  because  of  their  loyalty  to  Christ.     For  ths 

reason  all  the  more  sacred  is  the  name     All  the  mor 

oyally  should  we  prize  it;  for  Vs  sake,  and  fo 

the  sake  of  those  who  suffer.  '  '     ..,i,„  .„  the  plantin. 

of  Christianity.     Nothing        .c  dim  the  lustre  no 

reduce  the  precious  significa.   e  of  the  Name.     Oui 

aim  IS  the  very  opposite.    To  consen'e  all  the  trutl 

we  possess;  to  reveal  all  the  glory  we  have  seen;  anc 

in  addition  to  show  what  more  we  ought  to  recognize, 

rl Jr!»,^'  '^"^^  °^  ^"'"^"  *^°"^^^  »  ^'d^ning  is 
clear,  that  our  conception  of  God's  presence  and  ac- 
tivity  IS  changing  is  plain,  that  some  word  correspond- 
ing  to  our  new  and  wider  ideas  of  God  is  needed  is 
evident.     For  if  from  distant  beginnings  by  a  slow 

snintr.""°'"'  ^^  '■'  P'"'"^'"^  ^'"^  °^  '""easing 
spiritual  capacity;  if  spiritual  birth  is  part  of  the  proc- 
ess   recovery  from  sin  being  essential,  yet  must  the 
production  of  life  be  primary,  and  its  cur'e  or  restora- 
tion secondary  and  but  incidental  to  the  major  and 
positive  process;  if  this  is  true,  and  in  the  light  of 
science  .t  appears  incontestable;  then  some  term  ex- 
pressive  of  the  Father's  wider  gospel  is  required.    If 
a  term  could  be  framed  ^   ,-.  .;-  word  "God"  or 
theos,  much  as  Christ-ia,    i.    rar    .  ^;om  the  ^ord 


^'.i 


CHRISTIANITY  A  PATHOLOGY       301 

Christ,  the  very  analogy  might  help  to  convey  the 
wider  meaning.  Then  in  addition  to  the  term  Chris- 
tian, which  suggests  morbid  conditions  and  their  rem- 
edy, we  should  have  an  analogous  term  implyinj:  the 
normal  progressive  working  of  God.  Thr  idea  could 
thus  be  appealed  to  in  a  readjustment  and  enlargement 
of  our  worship. 

Since  God  is  triune,  die  name  God  must  have  a  con- 
notation wider  than  the  name  Son,  or  Jesus,  or  Christ. 
It  suggests  more  than  Physician,  0/  Saviour,  or  Friend, 
or  Redeemer,  It  stands  for  primacy  and  absoluteness. 
If  the  disciple  of  Christ  ha\.ng  but  the  narrower  idea 
of  religion  as  restorative,  would  adopt  the  fuller  con- 
ception, making  God's  Creative  work  primary  and 
seeing  redemption  as  incident,-'  and  secondary  thereto, 
he  would  be  no  less  a  Christian,  yet  he  would  have 
a  more  adequate  conception  of  God,  and  with  it  enjoy 
a  wider  and  fuller  worship.  The  Christian  idea  is  ourt 
already.  The  other  likewise  must  become  our  posses- 
sion. Never  will  God  be  thought  of  truly  nor  wor- 
shipped worthily  until  He  is  conceived  as  Immanent 
and  Creative;  and  redemption  is  seen  in  its  true  rela- 
tionship to  His  primary  purpose  and  working. 


Hi 


P 


ff 


XXIV 
PENDING  ISSUES  OF  THE  AGE 

THE  pending  issues  of  ^he  age  are  of  two  asso 
ciated  types;  viz.,  the  solution  of  new  prob- 
lems, and  the  discarding  of  discredited  concep- 
tions.    One  task  demands  an  investigating  and  ag- 
gressive spirit,  the  other  a  spirit  of  renunciation  and 
self-martyrdom.    One  carries  with  it  the  tang  of  de- 
ight ;  the  other  the  testing  of  pain.    In  religion,  as  in 
the  sphere  of  science  and  economics,  misconceptions, 
however  ancient  or  cherished,  must  for  truth's  sake  be 
repudiated.     In  realms  of  science  this  may  be  done 
freely  and  dispassionately;  not  so  in  religion.     Doc- 
trines, creeds,  and  forms  of  worship,  possess  a  sacred- 
ness  which,  even  when  weighed  in  the  balance  and 
found  wanting,  protects  them.    Theological  ideas  be- 
come hedged  about  with  an  almost  inviolable  sanctity 
the  element  of  weakness  in  the  case  being,  that  when 
God  discloses  the  inter-relation  of  universal  truths  so 
making  gauges,  measures,  standards,  and  proofs  pos- 
sible; we  refuse  His  larger  liberty  through  devout 
fear.    Fidelity  lags  behind  knowledge.    We  lack  the 
courage  of  conviction  where  we  should  exhibit  the 
honesty  of  the  scientist  and  the  heroism  of  the  prophet 
Well  might  we  cry  ^ith  Moses,  "  Would  God  that  all 
the  Lord's  people  were  prophets! "    For  why  should 
the  Church  so  dread  modification  of  thought,  or  the  re- 

30a 


PENDING  ISSUES  OF  THE  AGE       303 

interpretation  of  Scripture  ?  Should  truth  be  dreaded  ? 
Can  the  Bible  be  more  sacred  than  the  universe?  Did 
not  He  who  speaks  in  the  one.  Himself  make  the 
other?  Yet  must  both  be  interpreted;  our  advantage 
over  earlier  ages  being  that  now  ten  thousand  lines 
of  leading,  once  utterly  unknown,  lend  their  welcome 
aid  to  the  truth-seeker.  God,  through  His  universe,  as 
well  as  His  Word,  is  unfolding  Himself  to  men. 

How  we  honour  the  prophets  of  other  days  who 
dared  assail  the  misconceptions  of  their  times!  The 
Isaiahs  and  Jeremiahs  of  Scripture;  the  Newtons  and 
Darwins  of  science !  Wholly  admirable  the  zeal  with 
which  prophet-martyrs  of  old  battled  with  ancient  and 
revered  mistakes!  But  should  the  spirit  of  iconoclasm 
die  while  "  idols  "  still  remain?  Can  we  ignore  time's 
undying  demand— the  courage  to  renounce  error  ?  Let 
not  the  pain  of  it;  our  own  self-crucifixion  impede 
progress!  The  way  of  the  Cross  is  the  way  of  God. 
Oh  may  we  endure  as  seeing  Him  who  is  Invisible! 
May  we  live  as  did  He  who  gave  Himself  for  us  all ! 

AN   INTELLECTUAL   CONSCIENCE   NEEDED 

Another  demand,  without  which  the  former  can 
never  be  met,  is  the  production  of  an  intellectual  con- 
science. So  long  have  we  been  schooled  against  the 
violation  of  the  moral  law  that  we  conceive  it  wicked 
to  injure  our  fellow-men;  to  blaspheme;  or  to  disre- 
gard the  Lord's  day.  But  multitudes  of  good  people, 
scrupulous  about  the  lightest  truth  of  Scripture,  are 
wholly  indifferent  concerning  truths  of  science.  Be- 
fore one  kind  of  truth  they  stand  with  reverence  and 


I 


304    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

humility,  feeling  that  it  is  a  matter  of  importance  ha 
they  think  about  it.    In  regard  to  the  other  truths  the 
feel  no  such  responsibility.    The  conscience  of  the  rat 
has  been  developed  principally  on  one  side.     Me 
have  been  led  to  conceive  God  as  concerned  about  n 
ligion;  but  regarding  science,  art,  economics,  physici 
or  psychology;  what  cares  He  about  these  things 
And  what  difference  does  it  make  what  we  think  aboi 
them?   Conscience  has  not  been  made  to  apply  to  an 
such  truths.    What  have  they  to  do  with  religion?    1 
not  the  soul  God's  only  interest?    What  has  scienc 
or  the  new  learning  to  do  with  that?     Why  the 
should  religious  teachers  care  anything  about  them  ? 
Since  the  whole  universe  tells  on  man's  destiny  ever 
fact  in'  it  has  spiritual  value.    Yet  this  is  not  recog 
nized.    Concerning  it  many  have  no  conscience  what 
ever.     Insensible  of  God's  will  that  men  should  b 
submissive  before  all  truth,  they  feel  no  obligatioi 
to  attain  as  great  accuracy  in  thinking  as  in  practica 
conduct.    They  have  a  moral,  but  not  an  intellectua 
conscience.    Truth  in  one  sphere  of  thought  is  held  ii 
profound  reverence;  truth  in  other  realms  of  knowl 
edge,  it  is  assumed,  may  be  disregarded  without  sin- 
without  wrong  to  man;  without  infidelity  to  God.    Ii 
short,  the  development  of  humanity  has  not  yCt  at 
tained  to  a  stage  where  all  thinking,  as  well  as  al 
conduct,  is  consciously  subject  to  the  sway  of  the  Stil 
small  Voice.    Nor,  to  go  further  afield,  is  it  recognizee 
that  a  developing  race  must  have  a  developing  con- 
science; and  that  the  supreme  task  of  every  age  is  tc 
produce  a  conscience  as  wide  as  the  truth  that  to  if 


PENDING  ISSUES  OF  THE  AGE      305 
is  presented.    Yet  in  order  to  be  wholly  responsive  to 
God,  must  not  man  be  conscientious  before  all  truth? 
The  development  of  conscience;  synchronizing  as  it 
does  the  evolution  of  personality,  throws  upon  the 
creative  process  a  light  not  without  value  to  theological 
study.    By  common  consent  the  conscience  of  savages 
differs  by  a  wide  interval  from  that  of  Christian  saints 
By  a  similar  interval  does  the  tribal  sense  of  justice 
from  that  of  a  civilized  nation.    Again  the  conscience 
of  various  nationalities  also  varies  profoundly  sur- 
prisingly; perplexingly;  as,  for  instance,  that  of  the 
Hindu  with  that  of  the  European  generally.    But  as 
the  tribal  yielded  to  various  national  consciences,  so  all 
types  of  national  are  yielding  to  an  Inter-national  con- 
science which,  composite  as  it  is,  so  to  speak,  of  all 
the  excellencies  that  preceded  it,  transcends  them  all 
as  much  in  its  quality  as  in  the  scope  of  its  applica- 
bility. 

The  new  man  has  a  wider  outlook  as  well  as  a 
higher  obligation.     With  its  extensive  development 
conscience  is  found  to  be  undergoing  an  intensive  mod- 
ihcation,  becoming  increasingly  sensitive.     From  the 
elimination  of  cruelty  within  the  tribe,  it  has  risen 
to  the  provision  of  charity  for  all  men;  nay,  even  self- 
sacrifice  for  the  unknown  and  the  unborn.    Until  very 
recent  times  there  was  no  conscience  wide  enough  to 
span  all  countries.    A  sovereign  state  might  slay,  im- 
prison, or  torture  its  noblest  subjects  at  will.     But 
that  day  is  swiftlj  passing.    Over  a  "  Congo  affair  " 
or  a  "  Dreyfus  outrage  "  the  conscience  of  the  world 
stands  up  in  protest. 


I 


111 


306    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

Conscience  would  seem  to  be  under  education  also 
in  another  regard.  No  one  can  read  Ruskin  without 
discovering  that  it  is  important  for  an  individual  to 
have  an  aesthetic  conscience.  For  taste  has  mc  ral  and 
spiritual  value.  Beyond  a  doubt  the  highest  contri- 
bution of  science  to  humanity  comes  in  this  spiritual 
sense;  not  in  material  wealth  and  multiplied  comforts; 
but  in  truer,  higher,  life.  For  science  is  compelling 
men  to  be  conscientious  before  all  truth;  to  prize  truth 
everywhere  as  God's  Word ;  and  to  see  God  through  all 
revelation.  To  say  that  the  range  and  sensibility  of 
conscience  are  increasing,  is  but  another  way  of  saying 
that  God  is  gaining  wider  recognition,  and  that  the 
creation  of  the  race  is  progressing.  The  higher  and 
completer  men  become  the  more  adequately  do  they 
recognize  and  represent  the  Creator. 

Touching  the  divergence  between  the  scientific  and 
the  religious  conscience,  it  may  be  said,  that  the  atti- 
tude of  the  scientist  and  that  of  the  religious  man  are 
so  diverse  as  to  constitute  a  contrast  rather  than  a 
comparison.  True  to  his  intellect,  the  scientific  man 
is  exactingly  scrupulous  regarding  every  shade  and 
detail  of  truth  wheresoever  discovered.  True  to  his 
heart,  the  religious  man  is  willing  to  spend  his  last 
penny  and  give  his  body  to  be  burned  that  he  may 
proclaim  the  message  which  he  believes.  Both  are 
consistent;  both  admirable.  There  are  two  differences. 
The  former  is  seeking  to  be  sensitive  to  all  truth;  the 
latter  cares  only  for  "  the  Gospel  "  and  feels  that  it 
would  be  sacrilegious  to  examine  that  in  the  light  of 
"  secular  "  or  non-religious  truths.    What  value  have 


PENDING  ISSUES  OF  THE  AGE       307 
the,  ?    Anyway  the  Gospel  U  perfect  and  finished 
There  ,s  no  room  for  worldly  compromise. 

Equally  zealous:  the  former  may  be  at  fault  reeard- 
■ng  sp,n,ual  things;  the  latter  certainly  is  in  S 
to  the  range  of  truth  and  its  obligation.  His  intellect 
requires  to  be  made  as  sensitive  to  God's  universa 
word  as  h,s  heart  is  responsive  to  the  pleading  he 
already  hears     God  is  larger  than  he  knows,  and  i 

attr'''''™^°''''=-"^''-'"^'--P'- 

Is  it  not  as  important  for  the  theologian  to  be  Intel- 
dually  true  as  for  the  sciemist?    Is  not  all  t™  h 
Gods  truth;  and  sacred  throughout.'    For  ages  the 
moral  and  rehgious  conscience  of  the  race  has  been 
culfvated.    Now,  in  addition  .0  moral  wrong  scieTce 
has  compelled  us  .0  see  the  possibility  of  ta  1  teuaJ 
w,cked„ess.   Hosts  of  people  who  would  not  hurt  S 
fellows  nor  disregard  things  known  as  sacred  feel  no 
obl^tton  whatsoever  to  prize  the  laws  or  general  ™ 
tions  of  science.  generaiiza- 

Worse  still  preceptors  of  the  people,  guard-ns  of 

he,rsp,r,J„al  interests,  may  still  be  found'lho  re  use 

to  follow  God's  voice  or  explore  His  opetation  in  any 

field  outs.de  of  theology.    Antagonism  to  the  "yZ 

mat,c  advance  of  organized  truth  is  no.  felt  .0  b^  r«    - 

P  a7erTn7c   "^^    ^''""'   '°  '"""'  -*  "^ 
prayer,  and  conscience  sensitively  attuned  tc  the  wider 

ranges  of  truth,  is  not  regarded  as  a  hardening  oT.he 
heart  and  a  quenching  of  God's  spirit 
The  urgent  need  of  the  hour  is  an  intellectual  con- 


i !! 


i 


at 


l#fr 


1 


308    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

science.    To  ignore  any  truth  is  unsafe;  to  disrcgan 
it  profane. 

"  But,"  it  may  be  inquired,  "  is  not  advocacy  of  th( 
scientific  standpoint  anti-Christian? "  Nay  verily!  m 
more  anti-Christian  than  Christianity  is  anti-Hebrew 
It  is  a  fulfilling  or  development  of  the  germinal  trutl 
resident  in  all  religion.  Recognizing  universal  anc 
growing  revelation  it  tends  to  a  more  adequate  faith 
a  more  comprehensive  worship;  and  a  more  beneficent 
life.  Consciously  taking  all  truth  into  the  service  oi 
God,  it  makes  every  phase  of  fidelity  a  form  of  con- 
scious worship. 

PRACTICAL   PROBLEMS 

But  if  gone  are  the  days  when  the  teacher  of  religion 
might  confine  his  attention  to  ecclesiastical  and  the- 
ological thought,  passing  also  are  the  days  when  he 
can  retain  influence  without  taking  an  aggressive  part 
in  the  praciical  problems  of  the  hour.  To  him  speaks, 
not  one  Sphinx,  but  many;  asking  questions  which  he 
must  answer  or  suflFer  himself  the  destruction  which 
falls  where  reply  is  forestalled.  The  struggles  are  on; 
the  issues  pending.  Ultimately  God  is  the  questioner, 
though  the  voices  that  reach  our  ears  are  legion. 

Are  slums  forever  to  blot  our  Christian  civilization? 
Is  intemperance  to  slay  by  millions  the  children  of 
God?  Must  opium  and  other  deadly  narcotics  con- 
tinue forever  their  baneful  destruction?  Shall  easy 
divorce,  that  cancer  of  domestic  life,  be  cured;  or 
must  it  spread?  Shall  child  labour  and  sweating 
shops  be  banished  from  the  world's  highest  civiliza- 


t     f 


PENDING  ISSUES  OF  THE  AGE      309 

must' .h«v*V""*'"  '"  •*  «'"«"<'  ">  «<""™;  or 
must  th«r  mflucnce  at  the  national  polls  remain    or- 

v.r  mdirect?    How  is  social  impurity  ,0  be  purged? 

In  a  world  which  is  becoming  increasingly  weS 

how  can  the  idleness  that  damns  the  rifh  be  Z^' 

ttrr"'  "I,"'"''  '"'  "^  '°  ""*  f°^  God^  " 
that  Armageddon  of  modem  strife,  the  battle  between 
Mour  and  cap.tal,  how  is  justice  ,0  be  attained" 
Must  pnvate  property  pass  away?  Will  there  evt 
come  a  day  when  socialism  shall  be  so  complete  that 
all  shall  share  alike?  Would  elimination  of  comp«i 
t.on  cut  the  nerve  of  progress?  Should  the  unfiT^nd 
md,fferent  share  equally  with  the  Jer,  and  strenuous^ 

s":crf"it^'^'  'rir""  '""""■«' '" '"'  =■«"  --i 

successful,  be  equitably  passed  over  to  the  less  eligible 
the  ,„d,fferent,  the  lazy?  What  kind  of  co-operft^n' 
w,ll^conduce  most  to  progress,  and  how  can  f,  .^  a," 

r„dV"  Iwk''""":  °'  ""  """"''■  ^  »"  «he  love  of 
God,  by  all  the  needs  of  men,  these  are  problems  telling 

fa,th  wh,ch  feels  that  amidst  the  flux  and  flow  o 
«hmgs  ,s  the  Presence  and  purpose  of  God 
Hut  a  broader  sweep  of  vision  brings  to  earth's 

p.ntual  gu,des  yet  wider  responsibility.  ^eyoS  the 
-ope  of  nation.1  problems  tange  movements  inter! 
national  and  mter-racial.    Of  these  there  are  many 

wel'are  of  commg  generations.    One  has  ref -rence  to 
the  mfluence  of  Christian  Missions  and  Western  civil- 


M 


I. 


'  ■..1' 


(, ;  ) 


310    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

ization  upon  adolescent  and  reawakening  races;  the 
other  to  the  reflex  influence  of  reawakening  nations 
upon  the  future  evolution  of  the  race. 

I.  THE  INFLUENCE  OF  CHRISTIAN  MISSIONS  AND  OF 
WESTERN  CIVILIZATION  UPON  ADOLESCENT  AND 
REAWAKENING   RACES 

Since  Jesus  died  on  Calvary  never  looked  the  stars 
upon  a  more  splendid  spectacle  than  the  enterprise  of 
modern  missions.  To  the  Christianization  of  earth's 
oldest  civilizations  as  well  as  its  lowest  barbarism  has 
been  devoted  the  consecrated  wealth,  the  highest  learn- 
ing, and  the  profoundest  self-sacrifice  of  the  world's 
best  life. 

Farther-reaching  than  the  guess  of  man  has  been 
the  amazing  success  of  foreign  missions.    Who  could 
have  dreamed  in  early  days  what  ocean  currents  of 
trade  and  commerce  would  follow  the  missionary? 
Who  could  foresee  that  in  the  chains  of  inter-national 
interests— economic,  financial,  and  educational —mis- 
sions were  destined  to  forge  links  the  most  golden? 
What  seer  in  his  vision  of  the  future  predicted  that 
the  linguists  of  the  world  would  be  pre-eminently  the 
heralds  of  the  Cross?    Who  whispered  with  the  light- 
est breath  a  century  ago  that  at  the  courts  of  non- 
Christian  nations  the  most  trusted  advisers  and  earth's 
most  potent  advocates  of  justice  would  be  mission- 
aries ?    What  historian  of  the  Eighteenth  Century  con- 
ceived the  magnitude  and  value  among  world-force« 
ambassadors  of  Christ  were  destined  to  become? 
More  like  romance  than  a  record  of  prosaic  fact  read 


3" 


PENDING  ISSUES  OF  THE  AGE 
the  achievements  of  the  Missiorary;  and  yet  iusl^t 

ak  of  earth  s  last  hermit  nations  open  to  Christian 

MfitrT'  """'  ""  •»«"*'»e  question,  are  "e 
fulfillmg  the  world's  mission  well' 

nat"rr.  "~'"  '*"'  wont  to  proclaim  ,o  all 

cept  the  Hebrews?  that  outside  of  Christianity  there 
.3  no  salvation?    That  since  other  religions  are    aTs^ 
unless  they  hear  the  name  of  Jesus  they  will  Vrtt 

message,    the  method  pursued   being  to  present   it 
^uarely  m  contrast  to  all  that  non-Christian  Z'le 
beheved.    No  effort  was  made  to  find  the  mentaSd 

s  •:;  'oTd^'T'  '^'"' "' '"-"  ™^"orc„re; 

iTwr'the  trutr  XT'"' u '"""'"«  '°  psychological 
"e^elir  ""^'"  '"'•"  "'"^  «e  without 

pots™d       "'  ""'  ""  """"'■  '"'  '^■"'  >'-«y 
Of  late  years  missionaries  and  educationists  have 
been  mvest.^ting  both  the  destructiveness  and  the 

Stanley  Hall,      This  is  psycho-pedagogic  barbarism 
and     mtahty.     Only  the  most  ignorfnf  and  bigS 

tr,!nr       .  ^''  ™"^  psychic  and  ethical  roots 

trunks,  and  even  branches  that  should  be  presemd 
and  grafted  on  to.  To  upset  any  religion  is  rcJTn W 
psychological  wastefulness,  but  gener^ly  involv  s  "he 
gravest  moral  dangers."  •  '  "  "" 

'  "Adolescence,"  Vol.  !I,  p.  ,j6. 


i 


u 


p  .^-,^i§  ! 


312    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

"If  Christianity  is  ultimate  and  is  fit  to  be  a  uni 
\ersal  religion,  it  must  be  shown  to  be  related  t< 
Buddhism,  Brahminism,  Confucianism  and  other,  anc 
perhaps  all  indigenous  religions,  somewhat  as  it  is  t( 
Judaism.  It  must  be  shown  to  be  prefigured,  antici 
pated  in  each,  and  each  must  be  shown  to  be  fulfillei 
in  it  in  analogous  ways.  .  .  .  Much  that  we  hav< 
tried  to  destroy  will  have  to  be  fulfilled,  and  our  owr 
religion  will  be  inconceivably  enlarged  and  glorifiec 
by  new  insights,  and  reveal  new  powers.  We  shal 
exalt  Mohammed,  Kung-Tsi,  Buddha,  and  scores  oi 
great  ancieni  seekers  after  God  in  many  lands,  ways 
tongues,  and  centuries,  as  antitypes,  lawgivers,  proph- 
ets, or  forerunners  of  Jesus,  who  will  be  all  the  more 
exalted  because  all  ethnic  lines  and  not  one  alone  will 
converge  in  Him."  * 

Upon  older  civilizations,  especially  upon  those  of 
cultured  life  and  intelligt  t  outlook,  little  harm  may 
be  done.  The  convert  realizes  that  the  substructure 
of  his  thought  was  not  wholly  false  nor  wicked.  For 
new  light  and  higher  truth  he  is  grateful.  He  does 
his  own  building  and  his  nature  holds  true  to  God, 
whom  now  he  knows  more  nearly  as  we  know  Him 
through  Christ  Jesus.  His  life  is  renewed  without 
being  injured. 

Upon  adolescent  peoples  the  frontal  charge  and 
shattering  demolition  of  our  missionary  warfare  may 
L»e  more  harmful.  It  seems  ungracious  to  criticise  the 
best  work  done  in  the  world,  and  it  may  seem  unwise 
to  expose  defects  in  the  cause  for  which  we  pay.  Yet 
•"Adolescence,"  Vol.  II,  p.  746. 


E'^'-^;^!      'j; 


PENDING  ISSUES  OF  THE  AGE      313 
because  we  do  support  it;  because  we  pray  for  its  sue- 
cess;  should  not  we  who  are  devoted  to  humanity^ 
sp.n  uai  uphft  lend  our  ear  to  those  who  sLy  ou 
problems  from  the  viewpoint  of  latest  exploration 
Cultured  people  of  the  ancient  civilizations  need   Utie 
defence  agamst  any  errors  we  may  make  in  our  m^h 

they  be  helpmg  us  to  adjust  our  vision  to  the  dema^ 

Whose  welfare  is  m  a  peculiar  sense  the  white  man's 

ca"ional  m^H"^^  "'  ^  ''''  '"^^-^'^  ^^  --  e"- 
cational  method  may  well  be  considered 

It  was  the  conviction  of  Count  Leo  Tolstoi  that 
'gnorance  m  Christian  communities  of  the  u" 
elements  fundamental  ^n  all  religions,  is  ''one  of  the 
pnncpal  reasons  of  the  weakening  of  religious  con 
sciousness  among  the  people  of  ourlimes/'nTs  state-" 
ment  reads  as  follows:  ^ 

peonI"ofT''""5-  "'  ?''^°"^  consciousness  among 
people  of  the  working  class  is  caused,  in  my  opinion 
pre-eminently  because  those  people  ;re  educated  "' 
comp  ete  ,g„orance  of  the  beliefs  o'f  other  nat^ns  and 
m  the  assurance  of  the  exclusive  truth  of  their  own 
religion.  Educated  in  that  manner,  peope  of  the 
wr'kmg  classes  at  the  present  stage  of  their  intellectual 

aught  to  them  as  certain  truth,  some  which  they  are 
already  unable  to  believe.  And  at  the  same  time  aH  he 
ZuT  of  the  faith  taught  to  them  are  so  indissolu  ^ 
bound  up  with  the  acknowledge nent  of  the  Divine 
inspiration  of  the  Scriptures  and  the  infallibility  of 


I 


4: 


H 


314    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

the  Church  that,  not  having  the  strength  to  separate 
the  mf)re  essential  truth  from  the  less  essential,  people 
cease  to  believe  the  whole  teaching  of  the  Church. 

Such  people  among  the   working  classes   I)ecome 
every  day  more  and  more  numerous.    Some  of  these 
peopic  hide  their  disbelief  behind  outward  rituals,  ob- 
serving them  partly  through  fear,  partly  through  in- 
ertia or  propriety;  others  openly  acknowledge  their 
complete  disbelief  in  the  teachings  of  the  Church. 
This  dangerous  position  of  the  working  classes  of  our 
time  may,  in  my  opinion,  be  successfully  combated  by 
the  spread  of  the  knowledge  of  the  chief  religions  of 
the  civilized  world.    I  think  this  because  such  knowl- 
edge will  show  to  the  doubting  that  those  religious 
precepts  which  have  aroused  their  doubts  do  not  con- 
stitute the  essence  of  religion.    From  the  knowledge  of 
other  religions  such  people  will  see  that  in  all  great 
religions,  as  also  in  the  one  they  possess,  there  are  two 
kinds  of  religious  maxims:  one  kind  which  endlessly 
differ  and  vary  according  to  the  time,  place,  and  char- 
acter of  the  people  in  which  they  appear,  and  others 
which  are  always,  in  all  religions,  one  and  the  same; 
and  that  in  these  maxims  common  to  all  religions  one 
not  only  must  believe,  but  it  is  impossible  not  to  believe, 
because  these  maxims  besides  being  one  and  the  same  in 
all  religions,  are  written  also  in  the  heart  of  every  man 
as  undoubted,  joyful  truths.     And  therefore  I  think 
that  with  us,  and  especially  in  our  times,  the  communi- 
cation to  the  people  of  the  principal  elements  of  all 
the  great  religions  of  the  world  is  an  affair  of  the 
very  first  importance." 


PENDING  ISSUES  OF  THE  AGE      3,5 
From  every  quarter  of  the  world  come  protests  s>,ch 
as  were  repeatedly  urged  at  the  "The  vLrlds  M  « 
s.o„ary  Conference"  held  in  ,9.0a.  Ed     „gh  "t^ 

.ha,  ,t  !n  '  «l"c«nta„ves  ,vere  we  warned 

that  the  old  contemptuous  treatment  of  Ethnic  Faiths 
must  be  abandoned.  We  were  told  again  and  a^in 
>l.at  th,s  attitude,  mainly  based  upon  i^noranc  mus" 
pve  way  ,0  an  intelligent  study  of  the^anguage The 

asr*^»:  •"■™n  race  comes  to  be  regarded,  no. 
as  .  -It  mate  rums,  but  rather  in  process  of  creat-on 
whe,  rel,g,ons  everywhere  are  seen  to  be,  no'cunl 
nmgly  dev,sed  inventions  of  men  or  devils  or  human 
m.sgu,dance,  but  more  or  less  imperfect  feeling  after 
God;  when  all  religion-  are  reco^ized  as  U.ed  ,0 
one  a„o,her  so„,e.hi„g  as  all  peoples  are  rela.:j  .  1 

r.  p^  '"  '°"'"  ""^  ■""■"»"•  however  diverse 
m  c,vd,zat,on  and  maturity;  then  will  it  be  seen  th!t 
™ss,o,,ary  work  is  par,  „f  .he  world's  pedago"."  and 
^s  a  place  ,„  „„,         ,  ^,^^^    ,,  „.„  ^^JJ^^ 

as  God  s  only  effor.  for  man's  salva.ion,  but  will  ^ 

a""vi";.  °"'  °'  "■'  '"'"^^  '-'°"  "'  His  creativ^ 

II.    mPLUEKCE  OP  »EAWAKENINO  CmuZAT.ONS  UPON 
THE   WESTERN    WORLD 

The  converse  of  this  problem  presents  the  reflex 
world  and  the  Christian  rehgion.    The  world  dash,  so 


i^^mm 


.if:' 


,..i 


316    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

long  predicted;  so  long  feared;  is  upon  us.  Nothing 
can  stay  it.  God  will  not;  and  man  cannot.  Too  late 
is  it  for  counsels  of  prudence.  By  Occidental  nations 
the  impact  was  made  and  the  train  fired.  Whatsoever 
be  the  cataclysm;  whatsoever  visions  of  a  "yellow 
peril";  of  military  conquest,  industrial  competition, 
or  commercial  ascendency;  we  have  to  face  two  undis- 
guised facts.  These  nations  desired  isolation.  We 
bombarded  their  gates  with  our  cannon.  Therefore 
we  deserve  all  blame,  or  all  praise;  as  the  issue  may  be. 

What  fact  in  history  is  stranger  than  the  fact  that 
in  less  than  fifty  years  after  American  men-of-war 
forced  the  ports  of  Japan,  a  monument  to  Commodore 
Perry  should  be  erected  at  the  very  spot  whereon  he 
landed,  to  commemorate  the  commencement  of  Japan's 
astounding  modern  achievements  ? 

No  reference  need  be  made  to  economic  and  ethnic 
influences  which  must  of  necessity  result   from  the 
intercourse  and  intermingling  of  Oriental  and  Occi- 
dental peoples;  yet  must  it  never  be  forgotten  that  in 
the  process  of  evolution,  the  blending  of  stocks  is 
God's  fumlamental  method  of  laying  physical  bases  for 
the  world's  psychic,   ethical,  and  spiritual  building. 
In  producing  a  perfect  type  of  personality,  our  Cre- 
ator has  a  complex  problem  as  many-sided  as  the  na- 
ture of  man;  as  complex  as  life  is  potential.     One 
question  alone  would  we  here  consider:  In  the  recon- 
struction of  theology,  and  the  moulding  of  spiritual 
life,  what  part  will  Oriental  peoples  play?    Frankly 
acknowledging  that  no  one  can  very  definitely  presage, 
yet  two  clues  at  least  are  suggestive. 


PENDING  ISSUES  OF  THE  AGE       317 
In  the  first  place  we  know  that  the  reawakened  na- 
tions are  attempting  to  dispossess  themselves  of  un- 
scientific preconceptions,  and  to  emancipate  themselves 
from  the  trailing  influences  of  tradition.     Japan  and 
China  have  set  themselves  to  examine  truth  in  the 
light  of  the  latest  achievements  and  highest  principles 
of  science;  and  after  dispassionate  investigation,  to 
adopt  the  best  for  themselves.    This  method  they  are 
deliberately  pursuing  in  every  department  of  science- 
in  art  and  industry,  in  army  and  navy,  in  education 
and    government.     Intelligent   eclecticism,    combined 
with  effective  synthesis,  constitutes  the  most  distin- 
guishmg  characteristic  of  Japanese  procedure.    China 
with  swifter  stride  and  greater  momentum  is  follow- 
ing  m  the  same  course. 

But  if  progressive  Orientals  apply  this  method  in 
every  other  field  of  thought  and  activity,  will  they 
not  attempt  it  Jso  in  recasting  their  religion?    As  a 
matter  of  common  knowledge  Japan  has  already  ap- 
pointed a  deliberative  committee  to  approach  this  task 
What  the  issue  will  be  who  can  foretell.?    If  a  blend 
of   Shintoism,    Buddhism,    and    Christianity    should 
prove  unsatisfactory  will  they  finally  adopt  pure  Chris- 
^amty?     If  so.  what  type  of  it?     Catholicism,  or 
Protestantism?    And  if  the  latter  what  form  of  its 
competing  varieties  ? 
The  only  intelligent  course  would  seem  to  be  to  ex- 

ir'!!\'"  'f  5'°"'  '"  '^'  ^'^^*  °^  '^'  ^'ghest.  widest. 

atest  knowledge,  as  Japan  is  doing.    If  it  be  pos.cible 

to  produce  a  better  religion  than  any  known  reagion. 


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318    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

will  not  God,  at  some  time  produce  it,  and  may  not 
Orientals  be  His  instruments  ? 

Must  the  best  be  Christian  ?    Indubitably,  yes.    And 
for  this  reason.    Christianity  contains  every  good  ele- 
ment found  in  other  religions;  is  free  from  blemishes 
which  mar  other  religions;  and  contains  elements  un- 
developed in  other  religions.     Has  not  every  great 
religion  been  great  because  it  emphasized  some  impor- 
tant aspect  of  truth?    Will  not  each  contribute  some 
element  to  the  future  central  and  all-conquering  reli- 
gion?    In    the    past,     various    races     and    great 
personalities   have  caused   modi  "..ations  of   historic 
Christianity.     In  the  language  of  Brierly,  "  The  con- 
version of  the  Latin  races  brought  into  the  Church 
the  rigid  discipline  of  Catholicism;  the  entrance  of 
the  Greek  peoples  gave  her  the  creeds  and  a  dogmatic 
theology.    It  was  the  stern,  cruel  temper  of  the  North 
African  peoples  that  produced  in  a  Tertullian  and  an 
Augustine  that  dark,  fearsome  aspect  with  which  for 
centuries    they    clouded    the    Christian    eschatology. 
With  the  new  races  that  are  yet  to  come  in  the  same 
law  will  hold.     A  converted  India  and  China  will 
mean  new  conceptions  of  the  Gospel.    What  they  will 
bring  will  be  only  less  in  importance  to  what  they 
take.    Have  we  ever  tried  to  estimate  what  it  meant 
for  our  religious  thought  when  Paul,  with  his  previous 
rabbinical  training,  with  his  notions  of  sacrifice  and 
other  vital  topics,  became  a  Christian  convert;  of  the 
difference  to  our  whole  conception  of  Christ's  death, 
for  instance,  had  this  particular  Jew  never  been  bap- 
tized?   And  there  may  yet  arise  in  China  or  India 


PENDING  ISSUES  OF  THE  AGE  319 
men  who,  at  least  to  their  own  countrymen,  will  prove 
as  original  and  as  influential  exponents  of  Christ  as 
he  of  Tarsus  has  been  to  us."  * 

All  religions,  it  will  be  observed,  because  of  ele- 
mental principles,  tend  toward  a  common  ideal.  As 
there  can  be  but  one  mathematic;  one  science;  one 
etnic;  so  there  can  be  ultimately  but  one  religion 
^..3t  it  will  be  Christian  is  already  assured;  that  it 
will  be  an  advanced  form  of  Christianity  is  so  certain 
that  It  behooves  aggressive  thinkers  everywhere  to 
attempt  us  re-expression  in  terms  of  the  widest  gen- 
eralizations of  science.  That  task,  tremendous  though 
It  be,  rests  upon  the  spiritual  leaders  of  mankind 

But  who  can  do  this,  and  where  will  it  be  done?    In 
answer  to  these  questions  we  Occidentals  have  to  face 
the  undeniable  fact  that  all  the  great  religions  of  the 
world  are  Oriental.    Philosophy  and  science  were  con- 
ceived in  the  West,  but  religion  came  from  the  East 
If  It  comes  to.pass.  as  it  probably  will,  that  the  East 
adopting  Western  learning,  shall  attempt  under  the 
sway  of  Its  principles  to  give  expression  to  the  aspira- 
tion which  has  hitherto  been  so  fruitful  in  religion 
who  can  doubt  that  it  will  again  contribute  to  the 
spiritual  advance  of  mankind  ? 

Greatly  are  Orientals  favoured  for  such  an  em- 
prise.  They  are  free  as  we  are  not.  Emancipated 
from  discredited  faiths,  which  must  be  discarded  or 
transformed,  they  stand,  not  unperturbed,  but  free 
Unless  Western  peoples  undertake  for  themselves  the 
reconstruction  of  Christian  theology,  interpreting  its 
•'•The  Eternal  Religion,"  184. 


m 


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111 


» 


■f 


320    THE  SCIENCE  OF  SPIRITUAL  LIFE    , 

truth  in  harmony  with  the  psychological  and  spirit 
principles  of  the  universe,  we  may  in  time  witness  1 
spectacle  of  missionaries  from  a  rejuvenated  Ej 
bearing  to  the  West  God's  growing  Gospel,  recast 
expression,  and  reinspired  in  prwer. 

It  need  not  be  expected  that  current  theology  a 
established  forms  of  worship  '-  '11  very  speedily  t 
dergo  change.  Reconstruction  is  a  slow  and  tryi 
process.  Hitherto  spiritual  advance  has  been  pi 
chased  at  great  cost.  Changes  may  be  anticipated 
diminishing  price  of  heat  and  acrimony  as  scienti 
principles  become  adopted.  Intellectual  education  a 
moral  development  are  however  required  for  such 
era  of  freedom,  and  neither  can  be  effected  in  a  n 
ment.  Nor  must  it  be  supposed  that  modern  thouj 
represents  truth's  final  expression.  So  long  as  t 
race  progresses  in  intelligence  and  spirituality,  so  lo 
will  it  gain  more  accurate  conception^'  ai  d  be  capal 
of  clothing  its  refining  ideals  in  more  worthy  gamu 
Any  system  which  claims  to  be  final  condemns  itse 

Our  primal  principle,  therefore,  precludes  finalii 
But  already  is  it  perfectly  clear  that  God  is  Immanei 
that  progress  is  creative;  and  that  relations  are 
real  and  God  as  orderly  in  the  spiritual  as  in  otl 
realms.  To  embody  so  much  in  popular  religion  mt 
require  time,  but  will  constitute  an  enormous  advati 
toward  the  truer  life,  and  higher  order  of  personalii 
which  God  is  producing.  1 


PKINTED  IN  THR   UNITED  STATES  OF  AMERICA 


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LIFE 

id  spiritual 
witness  the 
lated  East, 
1,  recast  in 

eology  and 
jeedily  un- 
and  trying 
been  pur- 
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s  scientific 
ication  and 
or  such  an 
d  in  a  mo- 
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be  capable 
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mns  itself, 
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Immanent ; 
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igion  must 
js  advance 
lersonality, 


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